HIDDEN HAND
by Douglas Fett
Summary: The fourth flashback RP of my main character, Douglas Fett.
1. Farmers and Thugs

_The Mandalorian Wars_

One of the bloodiest conflicts of past decades, it wrought destruction and death on an unprecedented scale. Te Ani'la Mand'alor, better known as "Mandalore the Ultimate," was the mastermind of this massive conflict after being persuaded by the True Sith to attack the Republic.

Following 20 years of re-uniting and rebuilding the scattered Mandalorian Clans, Mandalore launched the renewed clans into the Outer Rim, in 3,976 BBY. This was a means to warm up his armies, for his forces were not strong enough – yet - to attack the Republic. As the Mandalorians carved out clan territories larger than the Hutt's, the Republic Senate, wary of conflict since the war with Exar Kun, decided not to aid the Outer Rim planets: Their only concern was the safety of the Republic itself, and the Mandalorians hadn't threatened them. The Republic stayed neutral for a whole decade as Mandalorian expansion in the Outer Rim continued, undefeated.

In 3,966, Mandalore provoked the Republic into action after converging on Taris and it's neighboring worlds of Vanquo, Tarnith, Suurja and Jebble. The Republic had a vested interest in these resource worlds, so it assembled a massive navy to protect them. The Mandalorians skirmished with the Republic forces in the sector, in a series of battles that ended in stalemate. Though Mandalore managed to take the minor planet of Flashpoint, the Mandalorians, to the Republic, seemed tired and weak after 10 years of war. Republic morale soared when it seemed their warlike foe had spent themselves. But it was a massive ruse that deceived the entire Republic command – Mandalore was merely preparing for a full-scale invasion behind the scenes, while gauging the Republic's strengths and weaknesses in proxy wars, skirmishes, and feigned retreats. The Republic had unwittingly thrown down their deck of cards and declared victory. Victory was far from over.

With his forces prepared for a massive three-pronged attack into the Republic, Mandalore invaded the Republic world of Onderon from their staging ground on Dxun. History echoed and reverberated…when once Onderon had fended off the Mandalorians leading to the death of Te Kandosii Mand'alor on Dxun, now the Mandalorians were striking back with a vengeance.

Under the Jedi Knights Revan and Malak, the Republic army began to fight back, slowly turning the Mandalorian offensive on the defensive. However, not all the battles the Republic fought were for its "Fight For Freedom." Some have remained curiously absent from the annals of history. Just as Revan and Malak shed away their Jedi titles and found their true selves, so did others fighting the Mandalorians.

Two Mandalorian Special Operations troopers, cut off from head quarters, slipped into the uncivilized systems to find a way around the revived Republic war machine.

This is that story.

_Dramatis Personae_

Douglas Fett – Male Human Mandalorian; Legionnaire  
>Tairek MacBroek – Male Human Mandalorian; Training Sergeant<br>Conall MacBroek – Male Human Mandalorian; General  
>Gaiwan – Male Human Mandalorian; Trooper<br>Jan – Human female  
>Brog – Male Toydarian<br>Jaina – Human female  
>Evenia – Twilek female<br>Arku – Male Gungan  
>Strasser – Male Human; Republic Colonel<br>Witter – Male Human; Republic Captain

_Author's note: This is the first flashback I've done in a while that is not a rewrite/retcon of a previous RP. I had begun writing this as early as November 2006, but it was not until this year that I put real effort into it. Enjoy._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

**Mid Rim - Chommell Sector**

**3,962**

"Wow Tairek. Nothing out here. No starports, not even a space station." I said with shock. Tairek grumbled, as he piloted the Basilisk through the dead of space.

Things were bleak. Just a week and a half ago, Tairek and I were assisting Major Hargish by conducting standard recon of Tanaab in the Inner Rim. Tanaab's environment was standard, we had braved Dxun and the homeworld of Mandalore, so jungle terrain was nothing new to us. But we weren't the only ones there.

Ever since Mandalore began his three-sector offensive a year ago, we had heard continual reports of Revan and the Jedi being sighted. A few of them engaged us in battle, but we quickly overpowered them. They were a minor nuisance, nothing more. Soon enough, it was Jedi generals that Mandalore, Cassus, and everyone else began to face off against. Republic victories under the Jedi were rare, but they had slowly stepped up their efforts that they now behaved like guerillas.

However, we hadn't ever thought the Jedi had the guts to make an ambush on such a rough world. Probably because it wasn't any ordinary Jedi leading the attack. It first started off when Major Hargish sent one of his squads on ahead, while Tairek and I circled around up over a ridge. As we trudged up the muddy slope, the comm. chatter picked up as the squad was surrounded and slaughtered. The Major had us continue circling to get an eye on our attacker, but by the time we reached the top of the ridge, the comm. chatter picked up again as the base camp came under attack by an unseen foe.

We rushed back down, but we still had a card left up our sleeve. When we reached the base camp, we found not only the Major and all his men dead, but a whole company of Republic troops, led by none other than the Jedi Knight Revan. When Revan sent his platoon at us, Tairek and I played our last card, calling in the Basilisk via remote to make a bombing run. The base was obliterated, and before Revan and the survivors could recover and make chase, Tairek and I boarded our craft and got the hell out of there.

However, it wasn't over even then. As we came into space, we found the planet had been surrounded by a small fleet. Major Hargish never had a fleet, as his mission was purely covert – the contingency plan Mandalore established when the offensive began. So far, if it did have any positive results, it was in the Outer Rim territories that Mandalore had already annexed years ago. Any effort to create hidden bases across the galaxy had yielded few results, but even those turned sour after a time. Even General Hirohito, our old friend from Hoth, he was long gone. Dead, maybe, but most likely trying to survive on the fringes of the galaxy. It was a tragic irony, really. Mandalore had spent years fighting and conquering in the Outer Rim, then when we show up on the other side of the galaxy, which has no heart to fighting, we start to lose more than we gain. There was probably a lesson in those initial failures.

Anyway, the planet was surrounded, and there was no way get past the blockade to retreat to allied space. The only way out was to the frontier regions of the Republic. After evading the Republic capital ships, we blasted into hyperspace, and were traveling for a week and a half before arriving, here, in the middle of nowhere.

"Nothing much here except a million stars and a couple hundred shit kicking farmers lad." Tairek said.

We were casually floating through space, Tairek and I, observing the star systems around us from our forward viewport. I leaned back in my seat and sighed. We weren't entirely lost, but we were utterly cut off from our allies. Still…this is what Tairek and I were best at. It was our job to operate behind enemy lines. Except out here, we didn't know who our enemy was. I took to the Basilisk's sensor readings to see if I could find anything.

"We could always set down somewhere, try to establish a secure line to Dxun, unless Revan cracked the _dadita_, except – wait…what the?" I said with confusion. Tairek turned to look at me.

"What is it?"

"The sensors, they're picking up…_dadita_ hail codes. From this sector."

"Unbelievable. How could…it's a trap. Revan. He must have cracked it. _Fierfek_."

"I see where you're going with this Tairek, but it'd seem unlikely Revan would send forces way out here just to kill two Mandalorians. And the Republic is more concerned with the main battle lines. There isn't anyone out here." I replied.

"Except whoever is sending that signal. It'll be a chance we have to take. Transmit the coordinates and let's check it out lad."

"Right. On it." I replied. After transmitting the _dadita_ signal's coordinates, Tairek took control of the ship again, turned us around, and headed off for the signal's origins.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

**Mid Rim - Rori**

Tairek and I descended through the planet's atmosphere, entering into a thick fog cover. We'd use till it ran out to cover our descent down. When we cleared the fog, we saw the planet beneath us. It looked lush, green, but not well inhabited. I checked the sensor readings.

"Not many inhabitants. A few major cities, a dozen and more villages." I said.

"Best to land in the outskirts and make our way in. Observe the locals, then make contact." Tairek said. I nodded. He took the ship in, this time through a thick mist, eventually descending to the planet's surface. We landed in some mountains, covered with trees. Gathering our weapons, Tairek and I went outside to investigate. We were set on soon enough.

"Halt! Who goes there?" A voice yelled from the forest around us. It had a peculiar accent, incredibly similar to Tairek's.

"I know that voice…I'm Tairek of clan MacBroek." Tairek yelled back. After a few moments our 'friends' came out of the forest. Tairek and I couldn't believe our eyes – fellow Mandalorians, a lot of them, all the way out here. Their commander, the voice from before, spoke.

"Tairek, old Tairek. What in the devil are you doing here?" The commander asked. He walked forward and gave Tairek a _Keldabe_ hug. He turned to me.

"Conall, this is Douglas Fett. He's a sharp lad, great in a fight and can hold his liquor. Lad, this is my cousin, Conall MacBroek. We grew up in Caledonia together before joining Mandalore's crusade." Tairek said. I shook Conall's hand.

"We picked up your _dadita_ signals. What are you guys doing out here?" I asked Conall.

"I asked you two the same question, but I'll guess and say your answer isn't as interesting as ours. Mandalore sent me here with an army to set up a hidden base. Part of his contingency plan." Conall said, turning and heading back into the forest. His men, which consisted of really about 300 troopers, went on ahead as we walked with Conall.

"We're well aware of the plan, _vod_. We've been helping a lot of our comrades with that plan for the last year. So far, it isn't working." Tairek said.

"It didn't work for us either. I used to have 5,000 men. When we arrived on this pit of a world, we conducted recon and found the locals had no standing army. But just as soon as we set up a base, the locals storm us. We had skirmished with them before hand and easily repelled them. Unorganized rabbles are all they were. But this attack…it was coordinated. It was the work of professionals, not farmers." Conall replied.

"How long have you been here?" I asked.

"A year. Year and a half. It's gotten blurry. Doesn't matter now. Nearly my entire force was destroyed the week we arrived. My men and I have been holding our own against those foolish enough to enter the mountains and forests. Occasionally, when the locals least expect it, we attack them. It's hit and miss." Conall said.

He seemed aloof and distraught. It was natural. Things were going poorly here. Conall led us to an encampment on the mountain, hidden within the forest. We sat down in front of a fire, while his men went about their guard patrols.

"Conall, my only guess is that perhaps the locals were trained, or they called in mercenaries." Tairek said. Conall sighed behind his helmet.

"Perhaps. For the moment, all we can do is play cat and mouse. Often we turn into the mouse. I lose at least 6 men in each engagement, more than necessary with how many I have left. It's a losing battle with no end in sight, except to throw ourselves at them and end it all in one fell swoop." Conall said.

He was exaggerating perhaps, but right to some degree – lose a few men with each battle, and eventually one's "safety cushion" would be depleted soon enough. For now though, his small force was stable. 300 was enough to hold their ground and ambush any attackers, and maybe even destroy a village, but to take the whole local army…guerilla raids were sufficient to inspire some amount of fear in the enemy.

"Well, we're in the same boat Conall. Tairek and I were assisting comrades with recon on Tanaab, and they were ambushed and defeated. We escaped, but couldn't return to Dxun because the Republic had surrounded the entire planet. The only way out was towards the frontier worlds." I said. Conall seemed to think on this a moment, then looked at us across the fire.

"Is that so? Then I think I might have a use for you two. My scouts have located a possible headquarters of our foe. It's outside the cities and villages, on the shores of a large lake to the North West. Anything you find there would be much appreciated." Conall said.

"We're on it _vod_. We'll leave at nightfall." Tairek said.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Tairek and I, geared up, left the mountains on foot an hour later, travelled across the grasslands, eventually reaching within a mile of the supposed camp. It was dark by the time we arrived. Perfect time to gather whatever information we could. Tairek and I pulled out macrobinoculars to spy on the camp. Lots and lots of tents…no fires going though. I put the binocs down and shook my head.

"Militia tucking themselves into bed this early? Not even toddlers have gone to sleep yet." I said.

"They must be out on a raid, or patrolling the countryside. Let's go in lad." Tairek said. We made our way in, covertly sneaking through the camp. Our helmet sensors were tuned up, to catch anyone who might be inside the tents. Tairek and I split up, so we could scan the whole camp. After sneaking through rows and rows of tents, it looked empty. Tairek and I regrouped.

"There's nothing Tairek." I said, a scowl on my face behind my helmet.

"We should snoop around some more, see if we can find anything out about it to give to Conall. Our comrade's lives depend on it. We-" Tairek was cut off as someone lunged at us from behind.

Tairek and I dodged to the side, and looked up to see our attacker. It was an alien, not one local to this planet. It was a Feeorin. He was armed with a wickedly curved sword, and grinned at us as he spun it in his hand. Tairek and I backed away, and as he charged at us we rolled out of the way. He turned towards Tairek, and began to slash away at him. Tairek managed to dodge each time, but it wouldn't last forever. I grabbed a large pole from a nearby tent, collapsing the tent as I charged at the Feeorin from behind.

I smashed it into his head as he brought his blade up to slash into Tairek, who was flat on his back on the ground. The Feeorin groaned, and quickly turned in my direction. Tairek backed up as I defended against the Feeorin's blade, and after a few moments the Feeorin seized up…and fell face first on the ground. Lodged in his back was a stun dart. Tairek put his arm down, and stood up. We stood over the alien's body, his curved blade still in his hand.

"Metal working on this planet? I have a hard time believing that." I said. Tairek nodded.

"I don't like this one bit. Let's take fish head here back to Conall." Tairek said.

After we tied the alien up, bound his arms and legs, we began to drag him back. It took a while, carrying and dragging, but eventually we made our way across the plain and up the mountains. When we reached Conall's hidden camp, we tossed the alien down and sat at the fire, tired as hell. Conall looked down at the alien's body, as his men began to tie him up to a tree.

"Good work. Find out anything?" Conall asked.

"Nothing, except this Feeorin here is good with a blade." I said. If we had been completely distracted, he probably would have taken both our heads off with one slice.

"Alright. I'll have my men question him immediately. Eat, we'll take care of it." Conall said.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

As Tairek and I had ourselves a bowl of stew, a few of Conall's men tortured and interrogated the Feeorin. It seemed cruel and unusual to torture the guy I thought, he was only doing his job. But it's the price you pay when you sign up. I rationalized it as a job hazard. It was nothing personal. Just business. Maybe that was another thing my father Arminius tried to teach me when Darius and I left Dxun – emotional detachment not only to comrades, but to the enemy as well. If you let your conscious rule you, you'd lose sight of your objective, and that was to serve Mandalore, or die trying. When it seemed Conall's men had cracked the Feeorin, Tairek and I came over to watch the questioning. Conall approached the Feeorin, who was tied up to a tree. He was also incredibly bloody and battered, and missing a few tendrils from his head.

"You've nothing else to lose. Just lay it out, and we'll let you go." Conall said. Having never met Tairek's cousin before, I had no idea if he was lying or not. Something inside me said I'd lie one day. Maybe a lot.

"You damn Mandalorians…butchers…but maybe my employers…are worse." The Feeorin said.

"Really? Do tell. I'm up for a good story lad." Conall said.

"Our clan chieftain, Ryevjack…was contacted by someone in the Republic. Whoever they were…they hired us to come to Rori and train the locals…Gungans, Iridonians, Twileks, Humans…build them up into a militia force."

"And what did this 'someone' offer your clan in exchange?"

"A sum of credits…large land grants for our clan…when the Chommell sector becomes accepted into the Republic."

"When it becomes part of the Republic? Then your employer had to be the Senate, Revan, or the Jedi." Conall continued.

"No…no…someone else…not the Senate…or military…we never met any Jedi…"

"Then tell me something useful, or you lose another tendril." Conall promised. There's a saying in our culture: _Mandalorians don't make threats. We make promises_. This was one of those instances where threats were beneath us. Conall meant it if the Feeorin didn't talk.

"All I know is…they're based in the main city…north…in Gardoose. I never met them…I just trained the militia…with the rest of the clan." The Feeorin said.

Conall nodded. One of his men handed him the Feeorin's curved sword, and arcing back away, Conall turned around and swung, slicing the Feeorin's head off. The edge of the blade caught into the tree, though the head still managed to come off. Conall turned to us.

"Feeorin mercs hired by the Republic to train the locals into a military force. A bunch of damn Gungans, Iridonians, and Twileks defeated me, all as a means to nudge the entire sector into joining the Republic..Rat bastards. Tairek, Doug, I want you two to head to the city of Gardoose tomorrow, figure out who exactly hired them. You ever done undercover work before lad?" Conall asked, turning to me. I shook my head.

"That's alright, just follow Tairek's lead. You won't have your armour, just a disguise to blend into the crowds." Conall said. He turned to his men who interrogated the alien, and ordered them to take the body and head out of the camp. The night was over, and Tairek and I now had an important assignment to work on for Conall. For now though, it was time to sleep.


	2. Wolves in sheep's clothing

At dawn, Tairek and I suited up. Not in armour, but to civilian disguises. This was to be an intelligence gathering operation – wearing the armour was out of the question. Conall's men gave us clothes, stolen from locals they had attacked in past months. We looked like generic civilians, with pants, shirts, boots, light jackets, ponchos, and caps. In addition, we weren't allowed our usual weapons either. We had to be farmers, so Conall's men also armed us with local weapons – basic blaster pistols, and a long barreled sport rifle. When we were ready, Conall approached us.

"Portable comm. links. Maintain radio silence till you've exited Gardoose. Who knows how much our foe has…they may have listening posts. Use your best judgment. Alright, good luck." Conall said. He shook our hands and we were off. Tairek and I walked down the mountain, and as we did we came up with cover stories.

"Alright lad, here's our story. Your Atin, my son, and I'm Wesford. We came here five years ago from Taris to escape the Mandalorians. We're heading into the city because our home east of the mountains was destroyed by the Mandalorians, who are still at large."

"Right." I replied. I memorized our cover story, as did Tairek. We exited out of the mountains, into the foothills, and walked across the plains of Rori, through some marshes, and eventually within reach of the city. When we finally made our way to Gardoose, it was 0900. We were tired from the walk, but we didn't let our fatigue get to us. We had a mission to do.

Gardoose was a large city…metropolitan, in stark contrast to the rest of the planet. Already, the Republic seemed to be colonizing Rori, beginning with Gardoose. Already duracrete walls were being built, while temporary walls of barbed wire and barricades were set up in those sections where the duracrete hadn't been built yet. There was a main gate to the city, but it was more a checkpoint, with a small guard post and temporary barricades. There was a Republic officer, unarmoured, with a unit of Feeorin-trained militia guarding the gate. The human officer stood in the guard post, while three Gungans, an Iridonian and a Twilek, stopped us. The Iridonian spoke.

"Your papers please?" He asked dryly. He didn't seem to want to be there.

"Papers? For what?" Tairek asked, toning down his Caledonian brogue.

"Anyone entering or leaving Gardoose must have authorization papers."

"We've never had papers. We've never been to Gardoose either." Tairek replied.

"Very well. Speak to the officer in the guard post please." The Iridonian said, morose. Tairek and I walked over. The officer nodded to us.

"Greetings, citizens. Welcome to Gardoose, capital of Rori and the seat of power of the Republic in this sector. I understand you'd like to enter the city?"

"That's correct." Tairek said.

"Well as you're no doubt aware, the Mandalorians are still planet side, so we require all citizens entering and exiting the city to carry with them authorization papers."

"I understand. My son and I would like to enter, so may we fill out the papers then?"

"Of course. Here." The officer said. He handed us papers to fill out, and stared at us as though we were specks of dirt. After giving us minor glares as we filled out the papers, he spoke. "So, been on Rori long? I'd like to hear your situation."

"My son and I came to Rori a few years ago from Taris, when the Mandalorians began their incursions. While we were out hunting yesterday, we came back to our homestead and found it had been ransacked by robbers." Tairek said. For safety's sake, he didn't let on that we knew it was Mandalorians. The officer scoffed.

"Robbers? You must not pay attention, citizen. Those were Mandalorians. They've been here for a year so far. Our forces managed to defeat them, but some of them survived and have been attacking isolated villages and homes for a while."

"Of course. My mistake. Here are our papers." Tairek said. The guard took the papers, glanced over them, processed them into a small computer, then after a few moments produced ID cards for us.

"There are a lot of people from the countryside that have come to live here, so good luck finding a place. Our security forces inside the city may request to see identification, so keep those cards on you at all times. As for weapons, there is another office right inside where you can register them. Good day citizens." The officer said. Two Twilek militiamen, watching guard over the small gate, let it open and we walked inside.

The city was nice at first, humble and quaint, with most of the buildings one or two stories tall. As we walked down the street, we could hear screaming and blasterfire down the way. Chaos wasn't running rampant, but it was occurring in isolated pockets of the city. We spotted the weapon registration office, and went inside. We dealt with the same bullshit, but eventually got registration for our two blasters and one rifle. We continued down the block, eventually reaching what looked like the city plaza. In the middle was a large fountain, where an Iridonian was speaking to a large crowd.

"Listen to me! The Mandalorians ransacked my home world, and continue their reign of destruction as they press on into the Republic. Even now, they still roam our planet, even after the beating my fellow militiamen dealt to them a year ago! Join the Rori armed militia now! You'll be fighting to protect not only yourselves, but your family and friends!" The Iridonian yelled. The crowd cheered, as Tairek and I watched.

We turned and headed down the block, wary of the strong anti-Mandalorian sentiment that was present. As we turned and headed down the block, we came upon an unexpected foe. It was a Republic soldier, but not a regular; no, he was in white plastoid armour, head to toe, and equipped with a jetpack and special issue blaster rifle. It was ERCS…Elite Republic Commando Squad, here of all places. Tairek and I maintained our game faces as we walked on, and spotted a cantina. We walked over, flipped our ID cards to Gungan militiamen guarding the door, and they let us inside.

Compared to the rowdy crowds outside, the folks in the cantina looked mellow. There was a Bith band, singing tunes nearly 10 years old, while a few dozen patrons sat at the tables, enjoying their drinks, the entertainment, and fellow company. Tairek and I walked up to the bar. The barman, a Twilek, greeted us.

"Ah, newcomers. Welcome to the _Vrobal's Snout_, in business for 50 years. Best food and drink in town." The barman said, as Tairek and I sat. We kept our caps and jackets on.

"I'm Wesford, this here is my son Atin. This is our first time in town." Tairek said.

"Ah, well happy to have you here. Mandalorian troubles I take it?"

"Yah. How'd you know?" I asked, maintaining the 'newcomer' façade.

"Well, secret or no, a lot of folks in town aren't even city slickers. They came here from the country after the Mandalorians raided their homes. Bad business that is. I don't let those angry mobs in though. If they want to get mad and vent openly, soldiers from the militia usually speak in the town plaza."

"We saw that walking in." Tairek said.

"Yes. What about you two? Pro-Republic or anti-Republic?" The barman asked.

"Anti-Mandalorian. I don't know if that makes us pro-Republic, but if it does, then more power to the Republic." I replied. The barman laughed.

"Tell you the truth, I'd be a little careful bringing in even that angst. I'm not saying who, but I have overheard a few folks in this establishment questioning the Republic. You might even say my saloon here is a secret gathering place of folks who are against the Republic's insurgency." Tairek and I leaned in, curious, but still maintaining our country folk façade.

"Why would anyone on Rori be against the Republic?" Tairek asked.

"Well, see, it's complicated. The Republic came in two years ago, trying to setup the Chommell Sector to be the first of many territories to join the Republic. Some Republic agency, called "Intergalactic Exports" was the big show here, trying to sell a lot of trade goods so the Republic could raise money to fight the Mandalorians. Anyway, they come along, setup their big offices here in Gardoose, and pretty soon after, a lot of people's crops started failing. A little fishy to me. And then after that, the Republic sends in troops, those guys in the white armour, to "keep the peace." That's when it got really bad. Tell you what's really happening, is their soldiers, these "commandos," just terrorize the city's inhabitants."

"Terrorize?" I asked.

"Yah, you know. Pull people out of their homes, beat them, rob their houses, and do a weekly roundup of random citizens, who are then never heard from again. I tell ya, I'm not speaking out against the Republic or anything, I'm just a saloon keeper, but Rori was a whole lot better off before the Republic came." The Twilek barman said.

"And the Mandalorians?" Tairek asked.

"See, I think people have it all wrong. A year ago, when the Mandalorians first arrived, we first heard of them from farmers in the country. What they said is completely the opposite of what all those angry crowds are raving on about. The Mandalorians didn't even attack villages or farms, they seemed to be heading off to open plots of land. They weren't hurting anybody. In fact, one guy came in and said they were just building a fort, out of harms way, out of sight, out of mind. Of course, now, sure, their raiding local villages, but that's only AFTER the militia gave them a whopper of a knockout. Honestly, I really think they've just become desperate, and have to make their attacks to sustain themselves, because they definitely aren't coming anywhere into the city. If they did, then there'd be a real war on our hands, and the Republic's." The Twilek barman said. He was insightful. Tairek and I stayed at the bar for the moment, getting whatever information we could.

"So, what about this militia? When we came here a few years ago from Taris, there wasn't any organized military force." I asked.

"Yah, that's a funny thing too. The Republic first started taking recruits, and then started forcing people, into militia levees. In fact, having talked to a few militia soldiers, it's not even the Republic training them, it's some mercenary force. Weird business. The Republic at first seemed cordial, now they've become as…predatory as the Mandalorians were in the Outer Rim. Anyway, they started taking the militia maybe three months or so after arriving on Rori. It's like they had this whole thing planned for a while I suppose. But anyway, I've talked your guy's ears off. Drinks are on me. What would you like? Our house special is the Osskorn Stout."

"Sounds perfect. Two glasses of the stout and potato skins." Tairek said.

"Coming right up!" The barman said. He yelled off into the kitchen for potato skins, while pouring us our drinks. He served two mugs filled with booze, and Tairek and I drank.

Tairek and I definitely were going somewhere with what we've learned so far…on the other hand, the Republic could sometimes be crafty when it wanted to, so having a whole cantina be filled with people that held strong anti-Republic sentiments could have been a massive deception to lure dissenters to their death. Tairek and I would be cautious. We were here to gather intelligence, not to bring attention to ourselves. The Twilek barman came out from the kitchen with some potato skins on a plate, and set them on the bar counter in front of us. We finished eating, thanked the Twilek barman, took our drinks and began to walk casually through the bar. If there truly were folks in here who were against the Republic, then they were probably trying to hide in plain sight as just another patron. We walked through the tables, seated with patrons, finding an empty table against a wall 30 ft from the Bith band. The music was loud enough that Tairek and I could speak normally.

"See anything lad?" Tairek asked in his usual Caledonian brogue. I shook my head. "Neither did I. We'll stay here and watch." Tairek said.

Tairek and I had our backs to the wall, casually enjoying the Bith band, but really discreetly focusing on the other patrons. We couldn't hear over the band, but we were looking for body language. People who were huddling forward to talk, or seeming to mumble, or simple discreetness that would only be noticed if you really looked for it. After a half hour of watching, we hadn't seen anybody acting strange. We had finished our drinks, so the Twilek barman's associate, a young female human, came over.

"Can I get you guys anything else?" She asked.

"The same." Tairek replied. The waitress left, and I turned to Tairek.

"I'm going to take a snoop around." I said. Tairek nodded lightly. I stood up and walked around the tables, but didn't see or hear anything of use. Going past the tables, I headed to the refreshers. I passed the female 'fresher, and walked inside the male 'fresher. A conversation between two patrons, a Toydarian and Gungan, was finishing. I stopped behind a wall leading into the main refresher, and overheard it.

"…The grove. Midnight." A rough voice said. Most likely the Toydarian.

"You'sa sure that's wise? Those'a Republic troops might come looking for us."

"Hey, you have your ID, I have mine, and everybody does as well. Get the word out to our colleagues." The Toydarian said.

"But what about the curfew?" The Gungan asked.

"Leave the city early. Not in droves. The front gate guard is a jerk but he doesn't report anything, unless it looks obviously suspicious."

"Alrights, alrights, I'll go and spread the word. See you'sa there."

I opened the door and closed it again, then walked past the wall to show I hadn't been standing there the whole time. Neither the Gungan or the Toydarian paid me any heed as they walked past. I quickly finished up, washed my hands, and headed back out. The Gungan was heading for the door, but the Toydarian was going to the bar. I walked past and headed back to the table, where Tairek was taking a sip of the next round of Stout. I sat, reached over for the peanut dish, and spoke casually so Tairek could hear me under the sound of the music.

"Toydarian, bar. Mentioned a meeting place. The grove, midnight." I said dryly.

I leaned back and ate some peanuts, as Tairek took a minor glance towards the bar. The Toydarian was sitting at the end, flapping his little wings in lieu of sitting at a stool. Tairek went back to his drink and we watched the entertainment. We watched the Toydarian out of the corner of our eyes, and when he left, we casually stood up, tossed some creds on the table, and walked out of _The Vrobal's Snout_. Exiting outside, we spotted the Toydarian flapping over to the other side of the street. There was an ERCS patrolman at the end of the street, and the angry crowd from before had dispersed. We trailed the Toydarian across the street, casually glancing behind and to the side of us in case the Toydarian had hidden bodyguards. Nothing. Going into an alley, the Toydarian walked down a flight of stairs below ground level, and went inside his apartment. Tairek and I stopped at the alley entrance, now knowing the location of at least one possible contact.

"These people may be against the Republic, but it doesn't mean they're on our side either." Tairek said.

"We need to at least see this meeting in 'the grove.' It's a good start as any." I said.

"Aye. Perhaps our barman knows where it is, if he's to be trusted." Tairek said.

He and I looked at each other, nodded, and began to head across the street. However, a squad of ERCS were converging on the cantina. After arming their blasters, they rushed inside, followed by screaming and yelling. They came back out a few moments later, throwing down a few patrons on the ground and shoving their blasters in their faces. Another commando smashed his blaster into the back of a Gungan's skull. It was a violent scene, as the squad of commandos pulled out at least a dozen patrons from the cantina. We watched the scene unfold from across the street, as the Toydarian from before came out of his underground apartment and watched with us. He looked at us.

"Eh, damn Republic. We didn't even invite them to our planet, and they act like they already own the place." The Toydarian grumbled.

"What's this all about?" I asked.

"This is the customary round up of drunks, rabble, and possible dissenters by the Elite Republic Guard. I guess I'll never be seeing those folks again…" The Toydarian said. One of the commandos smashed his elbow into a human's face, then threw him to the ground and barked something at him with a blaster rifle pointed at his face.

"Why would they do this?" I asked, seeking to gain rapport, and more information.

"Fear. It's all a game. Beat the populace into submission, shape us up into loyal Republicans, or…eh, I shouldn't even be talking about this out here. They may overhear me and then I'd ne next."

"We overheard a Gungan speaking to one of the patrons, and he mentioned you. We were curious, and my father and I thought to speak to you." I said, partly lying. Tairek and I maintained a straight face. The Toydarian scratched his chin and looked at us suspiciously.

"What's this all about, huh? Are they sending out plain clothes troops now to get us?" The Toydarian asked, now hostile. The word 'us' caught my ear.

"No. The lad and I just came in from the country, after the Mandalorians attacked our home. We're just trying to get our bearings is all." Tairek said. The Toydarian seemed to loosen up, slowly.

"Fine, fine. They may already be on to me. Chaos spreads quickly when the troops start their raids. Come quick, my apartment is right down the alley." The Toydarian said.

It seemed as though we were in, but appearances could be deceiving. Tairek and I walked ahead with the Toydarian, cautious. Our blasters were hidden in shoulder holsters underneath our jackets, while I had the long rifle slung across my back. We followed the Toydarian down the alley, and he led us down the steps and into his apartment. It was pretty messy, with lots of magazines, clothes, but no notebooks or even datapads. The Toydarian motioned to two armchairs, so Tairek and I sat down.

"Well, welcome to Gardoose. Once plain, simple, and out of the way, now a foothold for the Republic as they squash us under their boots." The Toydarian said, as he flew towards the mini-bar and began to fix some drinks. Tairek and I looked at each other, and nodded. Tairek motioned for himself to take the lead in the questions, and I agreed. The Toydarian came back with our drinks.

"So why would the Republic be doing this?" Tairek asked. We had been through all this with the bartender, but the Toydarian seemed like a radical and a possible ally. Plus, the mention of the word 'us' before led us to believe that he had other friends on his side, who were most likely meeting at the grove at midnight. Tairek and I would dig deeper to get on their good side.

"It's all politics. Our new 'rulers' just want to scare us, intimidate us into joining the Republic or risk getting thrown into the spice mines of Kessel…hey, what did that Gungan say anyway?" The Toydarian asked. I stood up and walked over to the window. We were below ground by four feet, but the window still showed a view of the alley. Not much to look at.

"He said something about 'the grove' at midnight." Tairek replied. The Toydarian continued looking at us grimly and suspiciously, not revealing any hint of surprise.

"Ah, curious. Do you like your drinks?" The Toydarian asked. Tairek and I sipped our drinks and nodded.

"It's quite good. Got a name for it?" I asked.

"Yes." The Toydarian replied, not giving a name. I felt light-headed and drunk, or simply utterly tired. The walk over to the city hadn't taken it out of me completely. Still standing at the window, I looked over at Tairek, who had dazedly fallen back in his chair. I looked at the Toydarian.

"You…drugged us…bastard…" Was all I got out before collapsing to the floor. The Toydarian flew over, staring at each of us. He pulled out a small comlink from his pocket.

"Jan…your going to want to look at this."


	3. Contact

Tairek and I awoke hours later, tied up to trees in the middle of a forest. Surrounding us were at least three dozen people – mostly human females, along with the traditional local races – Gungans, Zabraks, and Twileks. Also present was our Toydarian 'friend,' along with what looked like several members of the militia. Our blaster pistols along with the long barreled rifle were taken. A fire was going, and the night sky had long since put the sun to rest. This was the grove, and it was midnight. The Toydarian spoke.

"Eh, I would've killed you, but Jan wanted to interrogate you. I think you would have preferred your deaths instead." The Toydarian said. A human female with red hair walked towards us. Jan.

"I understand you two have been very curious. Too curious perhaps." Jan said. Tairek and I were Mandalorians, and were trained to endure extreme pain under such circumstances. But no one lasts forever in interrogations. We just were trained for higher tolerances of pain. We said nothing. "The silence is deafening, they say. Very well. Our organization can't continue while rogue elements collaborate with the enemy. I'm going to ask you very nicely who sent you, and if you don't answer correctly, then regrettably a few of my more unforgiving associates will have to force the answers out of you. First question. Are you Republic spies?"

"No." Tairek said in his Caledonian brogue.

"I find that hard to believe. We know this was your first time entering the city of Gardoose, but after cross checking your IDs, we've discerned that there was never a 'Wesford' or an 'Atin' living in the countryside for the past five years. The only obvious conclusion is that you two are spies of the Republic, sent to destroy us from the inside out."

"You have it all wrong lady. We're not working for the Republic. Far from it. Your pithy organization isn't worth the time for the Republic to destroy. They have more pressing matters at hand in the rest of the galaxy." Tairek replied. He looked deadly serious. Jan became flustered.

"The Mandalorians are just the same as the Republic, if not worse. They destroy planets, they destroy innocent lives and bring suffering wherever they go!" Jan shot back. Two Gungans and an Iridonian militiamen pointed blasters at us. I looked at the Iridonian.

"To burst your bubble, this isn't the first time I've had a blaster pointed at me." I said. Jan raised her brow at me, then looked at Tairek. He looked dark, grim. Interrogation was nothing new to him.

"Have it your way lady, but would you, a regular working mom from the looks of it, continue your life with a clear conscience…knowing you tortured and killed two men, who you were not even sure were working for the Republic?" Tairek said to Jan.

"If you really aren't from the Republic…who are you with?" Jan asked, suspicious as usual.

"You wouldn't like our answer no matter what we said." Tairek replied.

"Humor me."

"Let's just say…my people are here on Rori to fight the Republic, not the locals." Tairek said. Realization dawned on the gathered people, and the militiamen aimed their blasters at our heads. Jan reached and put their blasters down.

"Mandalorians! You scum…masquerading as one of us! I should have you shot, I'd be saving lives!" Jan said.

"And you'd be losing yours! Your organization is no good without a military wing." Tairek said. I turned to Tairek, confused.

"Tairek…what the hell are you saying?" I murmured.

"Yes…what the hell are you saying?" Jan retorted.

"I'm saying that whatever you have planned with your people, it will lead to armed conflict." Tairek said.

"We are civil servants, and good working people. Protests against the Republic will raise awareness, a temporary council will be formed and we'll vote that the Republic should leave!"

"Delusions humoured by foolish optimism. As you've noticed, the Republic here on Rori doesn't recognize any civil rights the locals have. You can protest, form your bureaucratic councils, and they will still hunt you and arrest you. Your organization is nothing without an army to carry out its whims."

"A large number of the militia have joined our organization, and more join us each day."

"Your 'militia' is weak and complacent and hasn't had a victory against an armed force in a year. They can barely keep a straight face and hold their blasters straight while their hands shake like a nervous girl's! They're amateur and green! When your 'civil' coup is launched, your 'militia' will barely be able to protect themselves against the ERCS and the Feeorin mercenaries that trained them." Tairek shot back. Jan's face turned red. She yelled out a cry of anger and turned to walk away. More militiamen crowded around as Jan went to speak with others. A few minutes later, the Toydarian from before came to speak to us.

"Eh…we have some questions for you before we even think of releasing you. First! We know the Mandalorians are still strong, as we hear everyday from folks in the country that their homes were attacked. How many of you are there, and where are you located?" The Toydarian asked. Tairek and I hesitated at first, but we pressed on.

"At least 200. In the mountains south of Gardoose." Tairek replied. I hoped the revelation wouldn't compromise our comrade's lives.

"Hnn…well armed?"

"Extremely."

"Still battle ready as they were a year ago?"

"We Mandalorians are trained for combat as early as four years old. It's in our blood." I said.

"And I suppose it helps that you've been raiding the countryside so much….killing innocents keeps you in shape I guess." The Toydarian sneered. He left, and the militiamen surrounded us again. A few minutes later, the Toydarian and Jan returned.

"We have decided on the terms of your release. Brog, myself, and our soldiers will escort you to your base. There, Brog and I will speak to your leader." Jan said.

"You've got it wrong lady. If we just walk in, they'll shoot you on sight. You don't just drop in. The lad and I will have to contact our commander and arrange a meeting." Jan and the Toydarian, Brog, murmured something between themselves, and then looked back at us.

"Very well. How do you plan on contacting them?" Jan asked.

"Our general ordered us to make contact via comlinks when we found out something. If we don't contact him by at least dawn, he'll assume we were killed. We should have left hours ago." Tairek said.

"The Republic has at least one listening post set up in Gardoose, but we've tested its range and it doesn't go as far as the marshes. We'll escort you south, and you can contact your general from there." Brog said.

"Very wise." Tairek said.

The militiamen untied us from the trees, but still kept us cuffed. Jan and Brag ordered their gathered associates to disperse, and then went with us as we left the grove. The militiamen kept their blasters aimed at our backs, as Jan and Brog led us south. Tairek and I got a better picture of the lay of the land as we exited the forest. Gardoose was off to our east while we headed south to the marshes, meaning the grove was north east of the city. After an hour and a half of marching through the darkness, with only torches held by Jan and Brog, we reached the marshes. It seemed more a perfect spot to kill us and hide our bodies, but they untied us. The militiamen still trained their blasters on us as Jan handed us our comlinks.

"Here. We're out of range of the city. Contact your leader." Jan said. Tairek nodded to me and let me do it. I flicked the comlink on and made the call.

"Fett? Tairek? You there?" Conall asked.

"Conall, it's Doug. I apologize for the wait."

"Thank Mandalore. I thought you two were dead. I want a status report immediately."

"_Vod_, I can't talk long. Tairek and I were captured by forces opposed to the Republic…their leaders want to meet with you."

"I see…tell them they can meet me in the abandoned village of Gildillan, in the foothills."

"Got it." I said. Conall and I cut the line, and I looked at Jan and Brog.

"Our general will meet with you in Gildillan."

"Very well. Brog, shall we?" Jan said.

She turned and kept walking, while the Toydarian leered at us. We kept walking. After another 45 minutes, we eventually reached Gildillan. It was one of many villages Conall and his men ransacked early on when they became a guerilla force. Now it was a mere ghost town. Two dozen shacks made up the village, all empty. When Jan, Brog, the militiamen and Tairek and I entered the village, passing through rows of shacks, it looked as though Conall hadn't shown. But Tairek and I knew better. With their torches, Jan and Brog tried to spot any nearby Mandalorians, but came up with nothing. They turned on us.

"If your supposed 'general' has duped us, then we may as well kill you right here and now!" Brog yelled. Hidden inside the shacks, Conall and his men emerged, armed and armoured, their rifles trained on our captors.

"PUT YOUR WEAPONS DOWN AND LET MY BROTHERS GO!" Conall yelled. The militiamen dropped their blasters. "HANDS UP! ON YOUR KNEES! ALL OF YOU!" Conall yelled again. Tairek and I took Jan and Brog's torches along with our blasters, while our captors dropped to their knees and put their hands in the air. Conall's men kept their blasters aimed, while Conall put his away and approached Jan and Brog, squatting in front of them. His helmet's visor peered into their eyes.

"So, I understand you two aren't so happy with the Republic?" Conall asked, relaxed. Jan and Brog nodded. "Well, it seems we have something in common. At ease, comrades." Conall ordered. His men relaxed, letting their rifles down. The militiamen stood back up, along with Jan and Brog. Conall shook their hands.

"I'm General Conall MacBroek of clan MacBroek, at your service. Please, have a seat, relax." Conall said, motioning to a table and chairs inside one of the shacks. Tairek and I followed them inside, and stood near the doorway as the three sat. "So, what is your glorious plan for tossing the Republic out of this sector?" Conall asked mockingly. Neither of them answered. Tairek spoke.

"Cousin, they fooled themselves into thinking Republic forces here would've been ousted by a vote of the people." Tairek said. Conall leaned his head back and nodded.

"Ah yes, democracy. Funny thing it is. In an ideal world, a government of the people would be enough to topple a government that's oppressing the people. But this is the real world, and the only way to truly get things done is with a blaster and a couple thermal detonators. Did you two really think you could stage a revolution without an army? I'm not an historian, and even I know that major change can't be forged without resorting to war. But I guess that's why we're here, isn't it? Change." Conall said. Jan and Brog still looked uncomfortable. Nevertheless, Jan spoke.

"Yes. Republic forces here have been terrorizing the people of Gardoose for nearly two years now. We want them gone." Jan said.

"Ah, they speak. Well, tell you the truth, I want them gone too. My mission on Rori was never to start a war with the locals, if you'd believe that. We were only to build a small fortress on the chance that we'd lose and the clans dispersed. Would you believe that?" Conall said. That was Mandalore's contingency plan in a nutshell.

"Perhaps." Jan replied.

"Fair enough. To be quite frank, my culture, the Mandalorian culture, one of its core tenets is adaptation. Change, go with the flow. Work with what you've got, fight alongside unlikely allies, avoid death, and have a drink with newfound friends after the fighting is over. So let's chat. Your organization…who is in it, what does it have?"

"We have 50 members, citizens of Gardoose who are in every rung of society. We have members of the militia with us too. We meet once every week in the forests north east of the city."

"And has it been productive?"

"…No."

"Why not?"

"Many other women in the organization have jobs in the Republic offices, but it's hard to find out anything from there. They're kept in the dark from their superiors."

"Ah, so it's information you're having trouble with. Tell you what. The next meeting you have, Tairek, Doug, and myself will attend, and we'll help you out."

"…Ok. It will have to be soon then, given the most recent developments regarding…you guys."

"Of course."

"My apartment…you two. Meet me there tomorrow at 3 o'clock." Brog said to us.

"You won't drug us again, will you?" Tairek asked. Brog said nothing.

"Very well. Tairek and Doug here will be my liaisons with your organization. I hope we can do business again soon."

"We need to get back…I have to work and earn a paycheck like everybody else. It's getting late, and the guards won't like us coming inside the city at such a late hour. Today, I'll get the message across to the rest of my people about the next meeting." Jan said.

"Very well. It was a pleasure meeting you." Conall said, with a hint of sarcasm. It was a tense beginning for an alliance, which as far as we knew at the time may not have even lasted long. These people were rogue elements, dissenters in an authoritarian city. Their death was always a possibility. Jan, Brog, and the Gungan, Iridonian, and Twilek miltiamen were allowed to leave. Conall's men stayed outside, keeping guard, while Conall looked at us.

"Good work you two. We've made the first step forward, now we just have to keep our balance for the rest of the walk. Let's head back to camp."


	4. The key to every friendship: reciprocity

Tairek and I set out the next day, this time with the official IDs given to us. As usual we wore civilian attire, complete with basic blasters. We left later in the morning, so we wouldn't have to wait around a while. We were allowed entrance into the city at the same guard post, by the same militiamen from yesterday. If memory served me correctly, at least two of the militia at the gate were also part of Jan and Brog's organization. We headed on into the city, down the street and to the plaza. We steered clear of angry crowd and a militia soldier that was inciting them, and headed on down the street towards the _Vrobal's Snout_.

"We probably oughta not go in there." I said to Tairek. We vividly remembered the violent scene from yesterday when several of the patrons were dragged off without any official reason given to them. Tairek nodded.

"Agreed lad." Tairek replied. We turned and began to head down the alley, when we came face to helmet with one of the elite commandos. He held out his hand to stop us.  
>"Halt. Show me your papers." He ordered. We noticed his finger next to his rifle's blaster, and quickly produced our ID cards. He looked at them and nodded.<p>

"Looks in order. You have permits for those blasters?"

"Of course." Tairek said, as we produced those too. He looked at them and nodded again.

"Very good. Carry on, carry on." He said.

He continued walking out of the alley and down the street on his patrol. Tairek and I looked at each other, then headed down the alley. We spotted Brog looking out the window of his apartment, then head over to the front door. Tairek and I looked to make sure the coast was clear, then headed down the stairs to his apartment. Brog opened the door and let us inside. Out of caution, Tairek and I stood rather than sat. Brog noticed this and shrugged it off.

"Mm…I spoke with Jan earlier. She said she passed the word on about the meeting. It's set. Tomorrow night, midnight, at the grove. You bring yourselves and your general, and we'll make it official." Brog said.

"Good. No tricks or your coup is dead in the water. The Republic may not know about you, but we do. You know what we're capable of. Understand?" Tairek said.

"You want to threaten me pal?" Brog shot back.

"I'm not threatening. I'm promising. My cousin Conall keeps his word. He'll help your organization, but if your people play any games, we have our own means to dispose of would-be allies. Tomorrow, midnight, the grove. We'll be there." Tairek said. He and I left, and headed back outside to the alley.

"I'm hungry Tairek. I say we get some food in town, then head back."

"Sounds good to me lad." Tairek replied.

We walked out of the alley, and looked for another restaurant besides the _Vrobal's Snout_. We walked down the street, and ended up back at the plaza. The angry anti-Mandalorian mob was dispersing after their daily five-minute hate. A few of them banded together like sheep, and headed to a restaurant down the street. We casually trailed them, and ended up at another cantina. The sign on it's exterior read: _Café Coruscant: Brand New_. We walked in, and we could see the Republic had it built when they first came in. It had all the elements of an upscale diner from the core worlds, but of course it was all for show. We took a look at the food, and the Twilek barman from yesterday was right: his place really does have the best food in town. However, better to be safe than sorry. We took a seat at a booth, and of course, to lure people in, there was a blue female Twilek bartender looking over the place. It helped she had revealing clothing on too. It was all a scam by the Republic for the locals to warm up to them. If I didn't know any better, I would have bought it. The bartender came over to our booth.

"Hey boys. You two are awfully handsome. What can I get for you?" She asked provocatively. She leaned down towards us, and my eyes became fixated for a few moments too long.

"I'll have the cleavage." I said. Tairek smashed his elbow into my ribs. "Err, the special."

"And for you old guy?"

"House soup." Tairek replied. She jotted it down.

"Ok, one soup and one special, comin' right up!" She turned and headed back to the bar, and Tairek gave me a look. I didn't notice Tairek, as I was fixated on the Twilek's rear as she walked away. I turned back to see Tairek looking at me. I shrugged.

"Couldn't help it. I mean, just look at her, and her…_goddamn_."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Tairek and I returned that night to Conall's camp in the mountains. While Tairek confirmed the meeting with Conall as well as reporting to him of the entire situation with the Republic, I sat in front of the fire and contemplated. The situation itself was obviously dangerous, but there were certain elements about it that were intriguing. True, Conall and his men had done their own terrorizing of the local populace, but that was only farmers and villagers in the countryside. Hence why all the people in the _Café Coruscant_ and those at the plaza all looked like country folks. Meanwhile, all the folks that were against the Republic were those who had lived in Gardoose their entire lives…they also had more upscale jobs. There were direct parallels as lines would be drawn in the coming future. The people of Rori used to simply be divided by culture, city slickers opposite country folk. Now they were being divided politically. Conall's Mandalorians had terrorized and massacred people in the country, forcing them into the city. The Republic, and whoever was behind their current domination of Gardoose, were committing atrocities against city inhabitants, inadvertently forcing them to conspire against the occupiers outside the city walls.

_Hearts and minds…Conall and his men have been guerillas for a year. For guerillas to operate successfully as insurgents, they have to gain support from somewhere in the populace. The only way they've maintained themselves is by attacking local villages, but its forced farmers into more-than-welcome arms of the Republic. But the Republic has been doing the same…and now the populace, whether they know it or not, has become divided politically_ I thought to myself. I continued staring into the fire, contemplating and predicting. This would be the first civil war I'd take part in. Ironic, that the people of Rori would only fight against each other when two foreign factions entered their soil. After having dinner, I headed off to bed. It was a big day tomorrow.

The next day, Conall began his preparations for the meeting. Not entirely trusting our supposed allies, he sent out a squad in the afternoon to conduct recon of the grove, as well as set themselves up in the trees. He wanted the jump on them just in case. After waiting for most of the day, Conall, Tairek, and I headed out around 2000 hours. This time, Tairek and I went as ourselves, fully encased in our armour. Disguises weren't necessary. We reached the grove about 30 minutes before midnight. There were already many members there, waiting. They eyed us with apprehension, disgust, and whatever else. We passed it off as mere ignorance. When Jan and Brog arrived with the rest of their organization, the meeting began. Jan spoke.

"I'm sorry if this meeting came at a wrong time for any of you, but as you all know, we've had certain developments. As you've already noticed, there are Mandalorians present. There are many more of them, and they've agreed to help us overthrow the Republic out of Gardoose." Jan said. There was a cacophony of voices from her followers, but she quieted them down.

"There will no doubt be those of you who are in disagreement with this idea. However, it's dawned on Brog and I that for our organization to succeed in it's task, we'll need a strong military force. Those of you in the militia, you are brave and strong, but for this to work we'll need to fight fire with fire. The Mandalorians are a necessary evil for the time being." Jan said. One of her followers, a Twilek, stood up.

"So what, we're going to let them just come in, beat up the Republic, then we'll have new oppressors?" The Twilek asked. Jan was about to reply when Conall came in.

"I'll have you all know that my mission when my army first arrived was to only setup a fort, far away from your homes. The long term effects of my mission required my men and I to live peacefully with the people of Rori. Conquering the planet was never our objective. I swear it."

"And who the hell are you?"

"General Conall MacBroek of the clan MacBroek." Conall replied. Jan cut in before it could've gotten uglier.

"Now, let me be clear here. Victory against the Republic is not certain yet. We still have a lot to do. Just know that the Mandalorians are for now acting as our protectors, and that when the time comes, they will take over the military operations when our agenda can no longer be hidden to the Republic. So…the Mandalorians are our allies, and we're going to look into certain ideas they've proposed. General Conall?" Jan said. Conall took center stage again.

"Now let's not get rattled here. My men and I have experience with situations like this. First and foremost, let's examine our situation. The main objective you all have, and the reason why you've been meeting in secret, is the plotting of the overthrow of the Republic from Rori. That is your ultimate goal that we will help with. However, our card won't be played for a while yet. For now, you have to help yourselves. The first thing in war is to know your enemy. Some of you will indeed be engaging in espionage and other clandestine activities. Don't get any bright ideas. You aren't going inside the Republic offices and gunning everyone down like you see in holo flicks. Those are actors with stuntmen, you folks are real people. This is an intelligence operation first and foremost, and these games take a while. A year at the least." Conall said. He paused to let it sink in.

"So for now, we have to figure out who exactly is running this Republic station in Gardoose. Already we've identified certain key elements of the Republic strategy. Key player one: The Elite Republic Commandos. They're the militaristic right wing of the Republic here on Rori. I can honestly tell you they're not running the show. Any Republic officer with ERCS under his command will use them, efficiently. You may not like them, but I've fought them before and I consider them worthy enemies, but in this theater they are pawns, plain and simple. Nevertheless, their atrocities are the reason why you're all here. If you have anyone to fear during the course of this operation, it's them." Conall said, pausing.

"Second element: The militia, trained by Feeorin mercenaries. They've become divided. Some of them are here with us, the rest fervently support the Republic, as you've all seen in the city plaza. When the time comes when my comrades and I must act, no doubt the militia barracks and training camps will resort to bloodshed as well. Our concern is not with the militia, as dangerous as they were a year ago when they defeated me, but with the Feeorin who've trained them. These guys are mercenaries, and mercenaries get paid. What we want to know is who specifically is paying them, and how they're paying them. If there's one thing my comrades and I have learned from fighting the Republic, it's that when even soldiers and civilians die, the only thing that will still be pumping through the Republic is money. It can be tracked, it can be played with like a sewer rat dangling in front of a nexu, it can lead us to our foe." Conall said, pausing again.

"Now, as this is an intelligence operation, and some of you are well placed in society, you will be called upon to do your part for this whole show to work. In other words, those of you who work for the Republic will be our lead agents. The information you gather will be ciphered along back to Jan and myself, eventually forming a clear picture of who the principal player we're dealing with is. From there, when needed, action will be taken. But for now, we're starting simple. So, those of you working in the Republic offices, come with me. The rest of you…at ease." Conall said.

Two women, a Human and a Twilek, stood up and followed Conall. Jan, as the leader of the organization, also joined in. Ten of the militiamen, three Gungans and two Twileks, joined the women and Conall. Conall motioned us over as well. He then sent a comm. message to his squad, and they descended from the trees, surprising the assembled people. Conall bid the two women and the militiamen to sit down on logs and stumps, while he stood. Jan sat down as well. Tairek and I stood off to the side.

"Ok, you two lasses. Names and occupations." Conall said.

"I'm Jaina. I work as Colonel Strasser's personal secretary." The Human female, Jaina, said. She looked older, about her 30s.

"And what does Colonel Strasser do?" Conall asked.

"He oversees the entire Republic mission here on Rori." Jaina replied.

"He may be the head honcho we're going after. What do you think?" Conall asked. For a tough, gruff guy, Conall could also be very diplomatic. These were just working gals after all, not soldiers. He wanted camaraderie between them and himself, not hard feelings.

"I don't think he is. He's gone into meetings in the main offices of 'Intergalactic Exports,' and returned…distraught." Jaina replied.

"Good, good. How many Republic buildings are there?" Conall asked.

"Three. Colonel Strasser owns the old Commandant's building that's been here ever since Gardoose was founded. The Republic offices were built pretty quickly after they moved in. Captain Witter and his men have taken up residence in the barracks, which are as old as the Commandant's building." Jaina said.

"Witter, who's that?" Conall asked.

"Captain Witter, he's the captain of the Republic security forces in Gardoose." The Twilek female said.

"I see. How about you? What do you do?" Conall asked.

"I'm Evenia. I'm a translator and transcriber for Captain Witter." The Twilek female, Evenia, said. She looked to be younger, early 20s.

"Transcriber…what is that?" Conall asked.

"When the Captain wants a message sent, he dictates it to me and I type his message. I then take it to communications to be sent. I also relay to him any messages sent to him." Evenia the Twilek explained.

"I see. Evenia, you're in a perfect position to supply us with data on the goings on in the offices. This is what I want you to do. Any message you come across, to and from Witter, I want you to make a copy of. Get them into holodisks. I'm going to guess you're not allowed to make copies of confidential information, so…think you can sneak those out of the barracks?"

"I sure can."

"Good. When you finish with a holodisk, I want you to deliver it to a young lad. Doug, get over here." Conall ordered. I walked over and removed my helmet. "Doug, this is Evenia. I want you two to work out a time and place that she'll deliver intelligence to you." Conall said. I nodded, and sat down with Evenia to hash out the details. Conall, meanwhile, turned to the older woman, Jaina.

"Jaina. What do you know about Strasser?"

"Well, he doesn't reveal much. The only thing I do is run the front desk for him. And even there I don't hear much. All the messages he receives are encrypted, and only he knows the decryption codes."

"Ok, so we know he's cautious. What kind of man is he?"

"Well, he's about his early 60s. I think he used to have a wife and kid, but I believe they were killed by…your people." Jaina said. Conall nodded.

"I see…Jaina, do you know what a honey trap is?"

"I'm not familiar with it, no." Jaina said. Conall paused, not wanting to offend his most valuable recruit. He carried on.

"Sexual seduction. A young lady like you may be the only way to extract information out of him." Conall said. Jaina's jaw dropped.

"Beg your pardon?"

"I know it's a lot to ask and I know you don't like it. But if you want to help out Jan and her organization, this is it." Conall said. Jaina leaned back and sighed.

"I'm going to need time to think about this." Jaina said. She stood up and left, heading back to the main group. Evenia and I watched the exchange, and when Jaina left she and I got to business.

"Ok, so, what does your schedule look like?" I asked.

"I work everyday from 9 to 5. I could get a holodisk to you everyday after work." Evenia said.

"That'll work. We'll have to change it up a lot. If any troopers see me at your place, or you going to where I am, they'll think something is up."

"There's a deli north of the main plaza we could go to."

"Ok, that'll work. Here's what we'll do…"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Jaina returned to Conall and Jan a half hour later. She still looked upset, but she had an answer.

"I'll do it. I don't like it, but it's for the best. But when the time comes…I want to kill him myself." Jaina said, deadly serious. Conall nodded.

"I was going to warn you of the dangers of emotional attachment young lass, but it seems you have that covered well enough. You'll be reporting your progress to a young lad in my company. Gawain! Get over here!" Conall yelled. Gawain, one of the men of the squad, came over. He removed his helmet and shook Jaina's hand.

"Gawain, this is Jaina. She's going to be gathering intelligence from Colonel Strasser. She's going to be delivering her reports to you. The information she's gathering won't be on holodisks, so you two go and work out meeting times." Conall ordered. Gawain and Jaina spoke together while Conall addressed the militiamen.

"You lads are paramount to the group's security. I want you to funnel extra weapons and explosives out of the training camps. You'll deliver them to my cousin Tairek. Tairek, come here and speak to the greens here." Conall ordered. Finally, he turned to Jan.

"Jan dear, my task for you is to gather supplies for my men and I." Conall said.

"Tired of being guerillas?"

"If we're going to succeed in the slightest, we need to stop the main reason why people are supporting the Republic: our raiding."

"I understand. I'll do what I can, but credits don't grow on trees. I'm not rich."

"Well…just say you've began a charity organization…for war refugees."

"That's low."

"Front companies are never honourable. But I'm giving you that task. If you don't want to, my men and I will just keep doing as we've doing, and continue pushing country folks into the Republic camp."

"Fine. I just hope to find redemption for this one day."


	5. The Deception

Four days later, I was in my civilian disguise, kicking back and relaxing in the deli Evenia and I discussed. There were a handful of patrons inside, but I ignored them and focused on my dinner. About 10 after 5, Evenia walked in. She and I didn't make eye contact, but we recognized each other. While I ate a Vrobal sandwich, Evenia ordered a small drink, and headed over to the drink dispenser. She pulled two cups out, setting her other hand on the counter absent mindedly. Or so other people thought if they noticed her. With her other hand, the one with the two cups stacked on top of each other, she set them down where her other hand just was. She pulled one cup from the stack, leaving the other sitting.

Filling the cup with some beverage, she put a lid on it and walked out. Finishing my sandwich, I walked over to the drink dispenser, taking the cup and sliding it towards the end of the counter. Something underneath the cup slid with it, and I caught it in my other hand while I filled the cup with water. I pocketed the random item, and exited the deli with my cup of water. Drinking it down, I tossed the cup in a garbage and headed for the city gate. I showed my ID to the gate guards and exited the city. After walking for a while, I removed the item from my pocket, Evenia's holodisc, safely encased. I grinned as I walked south to deliver the data to Tairek.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Jaina sat at the receptionist's desk in the front room of the Commandant's building. As usual, she received an encrypted message once every hour from an anonymous source. She got on the comm. to Colonel Strasser's desk.

"Sir, there is a message here for you."

"Alright, bring it in." Strasser replied.

Jaina knew her only way of getting under Strasser's skin would be through a long, slow process of casual conversation, leading to casual dating, and eventually to more intimate sessions. Fortunately, Strasser preferred to see every message in person…he didn't trust the supposedly "encrypted" channels that had been setup by Witter's men. Jaina transmitted the encrypted message onto a datapad, and walked through a set of doors, down a hallway, and finally into Strasser's office. She walked forward, smiling curtly at the Colonel as she set the datapad down on his desk. Jaina knew she had to make her move now. She was single and un-wed, and certainly not stupid: she knew that seduction had to be slowly coerced. If she went in showing off her 'bits,' Strasser would get the wrong impression, or some impression too soon. So Jaina, who was pleasantly covered, looked at Strasser's desk, and saw a framed photo of him, a woman, and a child. The Colonel's family. Strasser was decrypting the message when he noticed Jaina still present, looking down at the photo.

"That's my family. They're not around anymore." Strasser said. Jaina saw the grim look on his face and turned away from the photo.

"I'm sorry sir. I've never had a family." Jaina replied. To that, Strasser looked up from the message up towards Jaina. He made no expression, only nodding before looking back down at the message.

"I'm sure the lucky guy will meet you someday Jaina." Strasser replied. He glanced up for a few seconds, and Jaina smiled. She turned and headed back to her desk. First contact. She'd step up her efforts soon enough.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

I was at the rendezvous point south of Gardoose, the marshes, where Tairek had parked the cargo speeder. I had already handed over Evenia's holodisk, but I remained with Tairek as we waited for Gawain to report. After a while, Gawain showed up.

"Damn that's a long walk. Sorry sir." Gawain said to Tairek.

"It's alright lad. Sit and relax." Tairek said to Gawain. Gawain was about my age, maybe a year or two older. I hadn't talked to him much, but he seemed dependable, and gruff. He sat down in one of the speeder's seats and delivered his report.

"Jaina's made contact with Strasser. Caught his eye, for the moment. No intel to report. Any luck with the Twilek?" Gawain asked. I nodded my head.

"Yah. First holodisk." I replied. Tairek nodded and looked at the cargo hold of the speeder, which was full of weapons procured from defectors in the militia.

"I have to take these back to camp, then pick up supplies from Jan. You boys found lodgings within Gardoose yet?" Tairek asked.

"Mmhmm. Cheap motel a few blocks down from the plaza." I replied.

"Yes sir I have." Gawain said.

"Alright, good lads. Head on back then. I'll see you both next week. If you get compromised, escape and evasion. Don't bring the comm. channel down with you." Tairek said.

"I wouldn't dream of it _ner vod_." I said.

"Not a chance sir." Gawain said. Tairek nodded, and Gawain and I exited the speeder. Tairek left south to the mountains, while Gawain and I began heading back to Gardoose.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Days passed. Jaina continued working regularly, not going overboard in her advances. Small chit-chat, little grins. Eventually after a few weeks, she put on a smidge more make-up. Strasser, slowly but surely, began to warm up. A few 'hellos' here and there, 'good mornings, 'have a good night,' civil and professional behaviour it was but it was progress. She went into Strasser's office to deliver the usual message. She greeted the colonel, set the encrypted datapad down on his desk, and turned to leave. As she headed for the door, Strasser spoke.*

"Jaina, wait." Strasser said. Jaina stopped and turned, and walked back to his desk.

"Yes sir?"

"It's pretty slow today, you can go home."

"Oh…thank you sir." Jaina replied. She turned and began walking back, but stopped and returned. "You know, since I have the day off, and pardon me if this is unprofessional sir…but would you like to go get a drink with me?" Jaina asked, interested. Or so it appeared to Strasser. The older man looked up from his desk, initially surprised, but after a few moments a small smile formed on his face.

"I'd love to. Pick you up at 6?"

"Ok." Jaina replied, an innocent smile on her face. She turned to leave, when Strasser stopped.

"Oh, and Jaina?"

"Yes sir?"

"Call me Henry."

Jaina and the Colonel went out for the night. Dinner, drinks, and a walk about town. Most people that were out as late as they were would have been sent home by ERCS patrols, curfews and all that, but the Colonel of course had special privileges. Strasser walked Jaina home. It was now or never. After some convincing by Jaina, Strasser came in for a night cap. Jaina could see he was conflicted – he had been a gentleman the whole night, and now was pushing his limits. Or maybe he felt he had betrayed his dead wife by seeing another woman. For Jaina, she had her ulterior motives, but now she found she was _enjoying_ being with Henry. Every lie she told damaged her as much as they did Strasser. But she went with it. Jaina was not a deceptive nor vindictive woman – seducing a man for information was not something she liked, but she found herself getting better at it. As the night went on, Jaina managed to glean more of Strasser's past, his family, their deaths, and how he had come here. She was building trust. He was an old man nursing a broken heart, and she was becoming his bedrock of normalcy. When the time came, with Strasser insisting he leave, Jaina convinced him otherwise.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

I was in Gardoose one morning, sitting on a bench reading the morning paper. Evenia wouldn't be delivering intel until later that day, but there was still work to be done. I was on general surveillance, scoping out the happenings of the city. Nothing was happening on that street. As I was about to get up and leave, I spotted an ERCS patrol walk down the street towards the nearby residential area. I stopped and stayed put, leaving this new happening within just a sliver of my vision.

The squad knocked on the door of the house. Nobody came to the door. They knocked again. Nothing. They began to shout, warning the inhabitants to open up. The squad leader nodded to his men, and they geared up. Scatter rifles ready, one man walked forward, kicked the front door open, and burst in yelling. His comrades followed suit, coming in behind him to cover the perimeter. There were multiple gun blasts, screaming, then suddenly everything went silent.

Bystanders turned and stared. A few stood in place, watching curiously, while the rest fled the street. I remained at my bench reading the paper. There was an interesting article, that reaked of propaganda. It declared the Republic soldiers as "heroes," linking them along the same lines as the Jedi, Revan and Malak. 'Hero' was used quite often in the article, though any sensible man knew that 'Hero' is a MacGuffin. Alternatively, a conflicting article, much smaller and printed in the back pages, protested the Republic presence here on Rori, as well as their systematic use of torture and kidnapping within Gardoose. I suddenly had the feeling that whatever happened here on Rori would not be put down in the history books. A few minutes passed, until the ERCS returned outside. One soldier was pulling a young girl, almost my age, by the hair. She was kicking and screaming, begging them to stop. Her screams turned into cries, as the soldier shoved her up against the wall of the house. She begged him not to kill her. The rest of the squad returned outside. The soldier who dragged her out held her against the wall, his arm against her throat, while his other hand had a pistol shoved into her mouth. The other men were standing around, talking with one another about whether to kill her or not. Something about whether she was 'fit' or not for work.

By now, curious bystanders had fled entirely. This block had turned into a ghost town. I returned my attention to my paper, detached from the situation down the block. The soldiers nevertheless continued talking amongst themselves about what to do with the girl. As they talked, the soldier holding her pulled the trigger. Her cries were silenced as the blaster bolt blew through her skull, frying her head and blasting a messy swath of blood, skull and brains across the wall. The other soldiers began shouting and yelling at him. The squad leader cut through the arguments, and shot the responsible party in the knee, and then ordered the rest of the squad to carry him back to HQ. They began walking my way.

I remained reading the paper, not sure whether to bolt or stay in place. I decided to stick. As the squad passed by, one of the soldiers, the squad leader himself, came over, using his rifle to press the paper down to get a look at me.

"You waiting for somebody boy?" He asked, the rifle barrel conveniently pointed at my face.

"My ride, officer." I replied calmly. I held back from telling the soldier that that wasn't the first time I had a gun pointed at me. I had a cover to maintain, and bravado had no place next to discretion.

"How about you take a hike, or we'll bring you downtown." The squad leader warned. I had already seen his squad's version of "justice." I was in no way equipped to take them on, but I wanted to. Not just to prove myself. But for that girl. Something about it struck something inside me. These Republic types, that girl, and all these other _aruetiise_ were folks my people were fighting against. But now I was face to face with them daily. I hated them. But now these people…I pitied them. And seeing that girl die so violently…got me. I didn't know why.

"Yes sir." I replied. I folded the paper, stood up and began walking the opposite direction of the ERCS, my mind moving in a million places. I turned to look back around as they headed off. One of the soldiers looked back in my direction, then turned back. All I could think about was the girl. And those ERCS killing her. They were terrorists, no way around it. Just as brutal, if not more, as…us. A thought came to mind, that I couldn't get out of my head the entire day. Every time I thought of that girl crying and suddenly dying, I thought it.

_What's the point of the Republic?_


	6. Settling the Score

**3,961**

Eight months passed, bringing in a new year for Tairek and I. For Conall and his men though, they had been here for a lot longer. The operation had continued slowly but surely. The militia had covertly funneled equipment out of the training camps, and into the hands of the Mandalorians. Jan supplied the insurgents with food stuffs. Evenia and Jaina had gathered more and more information out of their respective Republic officers, delivering their findings to Doug and Gawain, whom then reported to Tairek. On one rainy day, Conall called in his top officers, Tairek, Gawain and myself, into his makeshift tent within the mountains. Jan, not physically present, was there via holo.

"Alright, here's the deal." Conall began. I could already tell he had formed a pretty clear picture of what was going on, as he went straight to business. "There is something here on Rori, playing everyone like pawns. I don't know who. What we do know is, they hired the Feeorins to train the militia."

"Where did they get the funds, sir?" Gawain inquired.

"I was just getting to that. Those 'missing' citizens, captured by ERCS, are being sent as slave labor to local Kassoti spice mines. The money trail that we've picked up shows our principal is hiring smugglers to sell the spice to the Hutts. That's how they've managed to hire the mercs."

"Drug trafficking? Bold move." I said, somewhat impressed with our foe's actions.

"Don't get too fond of them Doug. We've also learned they are planning to send the militia here. To attack us."

"What?" Tairek nearly shouted.

"We let a stranger into our home. Someone has compromised us. Which also means they've compromised our friends in the militia. And possibly our friends in Gardoose as well." Conall said. Tairek stepped forward.

"Let me go and warn them. If we lose Arku and his boys-"

"Go Tairek. But know that the Feeorin and the militia are being sent first to oversee the final mining operations to the east, before they deal with us and their brothers. We've got a small window before they attack." Conall said. Tairek turned to me.

"Come on lad, I'll need you on this one."

Tairek and I left Conall's HQ in the mountains, traversing the muddy terrain en route to the militia camp. Reaching the foothills, we headed north, north west around the nearly overflooded swamps. By the time that we came into range of the camp, it was night fall. The camp seemed to be ablaze with activity.*

"Celebrating?" I said, confused.

"Aye. They probably know they are going into battle soon. Let's be hasty lad." Tairek replied. By way of foot, we snuk towards the camp through the tall grass. Many militiamen were partying, though plenty were in tents, obviously far from ecstatic. Tairek had us split up. I made my way down one perimeter of the camp, while Tairek went the other way. I snuk along, peering through the tent window flaps to spot Arku. Several minutes into my search, Tairek contacted me. I made my way back around the perimeter, eventually finding Tairek, outside a tent, talking with Arku who was inside.

"What's dees about?" Arku asked.

"The militia and the Feeorin mercs are going to attack our HQ, but first they are going to _clean house_." Tairek answered.

"What? Dats impossible. How would day know about us?"

"There's no time to explain boyo. Gather your men, and meet us outside."

"Alright. Could be a while."

Tairek and I left the camp, going south a ways to hide in the tall grass. 40 minutes later, we saw Arku and the rest of the anti-Rep militia sneak out of the camp. We emerged from the grass and caught their attention. Arku and the militia joined us.

"If they find we're gone, they'll hunt us." Arku said to us. His men looked worried and upset, fingers on the triggers.

"Which is why your coming with us. You lads are no longer safe here. I'll explain on the way." Tairek said to them. We began trekking south back to the mountains. As we neared the massive swamps, Tairek finally explained it to them.

"There's an insider. Someone talked."

"Obviously." Arku replied.

"Cut the snark boyo or I'll rip your ears off. The lad and I are saving your life."

"Oh?"

"Aye. First, the Feeorin and their loyal buttboys were going to kill all of you. Then in the next few days, they would look after the final stages of the mining operation. Kill all the slave labor there. Then attack our HQ in the mountains."

"When would all this happen?"

"Soon." Tairek said with finality. I hated not having a definite answer. Just then, Tairek and I were contacted through our helmet comms.

"_Tairek, Doug, new orders. Do you have Arku and the militia with you?_" Conall asked.

"Aye, cousin."

"_Good. New information. The Feeorin and the militia are heading to the mines tomorrow. I want to be ready for them. I'm transmitting coordinates now. We'll meet you in a couple hours. Conall out._" Conall finished. Tairek turned to address everyone.

"The Feeorin know you've all left. Their timetables have been pushed ahead. They're going to the mines tomorrow. We're grouping with my brothers there."

"Dis sounds half-assed." One of the militia piped up.

"Its better than nothing, big ears."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

It was a little after dawn, as Tairek, myself, Arku and the militia took cover within the tall grass, a few hundred feet from the mine entrance. The Kassoti mines themselves were accessible via the quarry, which itself was accessible via one narrow, winding walkway down into its mouth. Laying on my stomach next to Tairek, I scanned for any new targets with my helmet. Nothing. There was only us, and the workers down in the quarry and mines.*

"Tairek," I whispered, "they should be here by now."

"The mercs?"

"I meant Conall, but them too."

Before we could continue, we picked up new signatures on our helmet scanners. From the west. We cut the chatter, and remained hiding as a large force – the Feeorin mercs and the pro-Rep militia – clambered over a hill, en route to the mine. They were just feet away from the tall grass as they passed. Their combined numbers were impressive, a few hundred or so. As they began winding down the rocky slope into the quarry, we heard a familiar voice over our comms.

"_Sorry to keep you guys waiting. What's your position? Over._" It was Conall, finally.

"We're in the grass north west of the quarry, over."

"_Good. We're just to the south. We spotted the targets._"

"Aye, they're going down into the quarry cousin."

"_Perfect. When it's clear, make your way to the path. We don't want anyone getting out._"

_Alive_I thought to myself, finishing Conall's implied orders.

"Aye. Will do."

"_We'll approach and circle the opening. We'll surround and destroy them. Keep your heads on your shoulders you two. Conall out._" Conall finished, and Tairek turned to address the militia.

"Let's move. Hold your fire. Our task is to make sure no one escapes."

"What about all the workers? We joined with you Mandalorians to liberate Gardoose, not to kill civilians. We're not ERCS." A Twilek militiaman said. Tairek contacted Conall.

"Conall, the civilians are off limits."

"_Of course._" Conall replied simply. Tairek turned back.

"Watch your fire. Let's move."

We sifted out of the tall grass, making our way over to the single pathway leading down into the quarry. At the same time, Conall and his troops appeared from behind the hills to the south, and crept forward towards the quarry. Reaching the quarry, they began to circle its mouth, while our group set up an effective defense of the pathway. So far, so clear, they hadn't noticed us. Several of Conall's men equipped bazookas, took aim at select targets, and on their commander's mark, fired. The Feeorin and the militia were taken by completely by surprise, as groups of them were blasted apart. Civilian miners ran and hid, as their overlords ran for cover and returned fire.

"Watch your buckets lads!" Tairek yelled over the comm. The angle of fire allowed our foes to shoot at the only parts of us that they could see – our heads.

It was an intense fire fight, as we had to duck more often than they did. Our militia, unarmoured, were playing it safe, while Conall's men took turns ducking out of cover to shoot down at our foe. They were hidden behind crates of Kassoti, which was notoriously flammable – a fact not lost on us. We took potshots at the Kassoti, exploding several crates, forcing the survivors to huddle together. One of the Feeorin dropped a smoke grenade to cover their movements. They were effectively concealed. Us Mandalorians activated our helmet's IR sights to spot them.

"_They're making a run for it, watch that path!_" One of Conalls' men warned.

A large group of militia, led by Feeorin, began running towards us. Our team directed our fire into the mass of targets charging us. They took bolts and fell, off the path or face down, tripping their friends. But it wasn't enough. As the militia fell, charging from behind them were Feeorin, armed with wicked, curved swords. They made contact with our militia, hacking through Zabrak and Gungan alike. The rest of us began backing away for some range. The militia fired furiously into the mass of Feeorin, while Tairek and I made use of our gauntlet rocket darts. I fired an explosive tip, killing a few, while Tairek fired KO darts to wear them down. Nevertheless, they kept coming. One tossed a concussion grenade, disorienting the militia while Tairek and I fell backwards.

Coming to a few moments later, I saw the Feeorin knock aside our militia, rather than kill them. Three were left as they came down on Tairek and I, two on him, one on me. My foe yelled a battle cry, as he attempted to slice my head clean off. As he brought his arms up to swipe, I sat up, jamming my gauntlet vibroshiv into his stomach. The Feeorin yelled, and I knew I had only one moment to take him before he reacted. I threw my body forward, smashing him onto his back, as I crashed on top of him. Before he could kick me off, I pressed my other fist to his face, and unleashed my gauntlet's laser, frying his skull point blank.

Tairek was being overwhelmed. One Feeorin held him down, while the other was preparing to hack his hand off. The one with the sword cried out, as one of Conall's snipers on the other side of the quarry pegged him in the spine. The militia by now had recovered, and aimed their blasters at the Feeorin. The merc grinned, stood up and backed away from Tairek. He was walking backwards towards the quarry. I moved slowly to take him down for questioning, but he was quick. Turning, he backfisted me, knocking me to the ground, and made a running jump into the quarry. He wasn't trying to escape – he _wanted_to die. The remainder of us who survived looked down, and watched as he crashed into the pool of burning Kassoti. Tairek walked over and helped me up. I took my helmet off and rubbed my face. Arku and his militia joined us, while Conall's men regrouped.

"I see more suicides on this job…" I mumbled dryly.

"We have to get those miners." Arku said to his militia. "Everyone ready?" His men grunted. "Good. Careful of the fires, let's be quick."

Arku and the militia began down the path into the quarry to round up their fellow citizens of Gardoose. Tairek and I held back, as Conall and his men rounded the quarry mouth towards us. Tairek and Conall talked, while I looked down into the quarry. It was a noble and honourable task they were doing, simply rescuing their brethren. I joined the conversation, but before I could utter a word there was a thrashing from the nearby forest. Running out of the woods were a group of militia, armed with swords and bows. We were hit with a volley of arrows. I took an arrow in the shoulder pauldron and dropped to the ground, putting on my helmet. Tairek was hit in the chest, Conall in the leg. His men began firing back, but more came. From one of our own there was a roar of pain. I turned to look, and saw Gawain struck in the eye with an arrow, his helmet on the ground beside him.

"Gawain!" I yelled, and began crawling over to him.

In a rage, Gawain stood up, the arrow still in his eye as the militia swordsmen charged. Gawain reached up, pulled the arrow out, and bit his bloodied eyeball off it. The militia stopped dead in their tracks, astounded and intimidated by the man. In their surprise, Conall's men fired, quickly eliminating our attackers. The few survivors fled, and Gawain personally ran after them, jumping on them and snapping their necks or crushing their spines. Tairek, Conall and I recovered – the arrows hadn't pierced through the other side of our armour. We watched, impressed, as Gawain killed the last of the enemy militia, blind in one eye as he was. Conall nodded, and turned to us.

"We'll talk when we get back to camp. Our job here is done. Let's go."


	7. Its a dirty business

It was early evening when we returned to the mountains, with the militia and civilians in tow. It was no longer safe for them in the city. They were wanted men and women, renegades from the "the law"- to be brought in _dead_. Gawain was still slowly bleeding, sending bloody streaks down his armour. He was a tough sonofabitch. Conall let his men and the militia rest, while he went to his tent to set up a comm. line to Jan. Tairek and I entered. Conall had Gawain go fix himself up. A blue holo of Jan appeared.

"Jan, good news. We've taken care of the militia and the Feeorin."

"_So I've heard. It's been hell in Gardoose all day. I had to bribe the gate guards just to leave the city. Did you find out who the traitor was?_"

"Negative."

"_Great. Well I've got bad news – I haven't seen Brog. For a couple days now._" Jan replied. Conall turned to look at Tairek and I, then looked back down at Jan. "_It's possible he was captured. Did you find him at the mines?_"

"Negative, Jan." Conall replied. The answer was staring us straight in the face. Jan didn't see it, or she didn't want to see it.

"_I know what you're thinking. I don't believe it though. He wants the Republic out. He hates the Republic._"

"We'll see. As long as he's missing, we're all still in danger, you included." Conall replied.

"_So what do we do next?_"

"We have to act quickly. Our enemy is in 'siege' mode now. They know they're under attack. Martial law is their preferred option."

"_That's been their favorite option since they came here, General. What do I do?_"

"Watch your back Jan. We'll contact you. Conall out." Conall closed the line, and turned to Tairek and I. "Our civilian friends can't help us any longer. This is a military operation now. Doug, I want you and Gawain to head to Gardoose within the hour."

"What do we do?" I asked. Conall stood up and exited the tent. Tairek nodded to me and headed off to his own quarters. Gawain, stitched up and ready to go, joined us.

"Intelligence gathered from your informants shows that there are two divisions of ERCS operating in Gardoose. The troops you two have seen, engaging in patrols, are the regulars. Skull bashers and thugs is all they are. The second group are more subtle. They hunt down known Mandalorian sympathizers, or even citizens suspected to _be_ Mandalorian. They title themselves _Ghosts_."

"Egos, eager to prove themselves for reputation." I commented.

"Correct. It seems they share a rivalry with each other, hoping to outshine the other division with more arrests, more brutal captures of citizens."

"Let them at us sir. Fett and I will take care of them." Gawain announced. Gawain certainly was not stupid, but he was a warriour, straight to the core. I grinned behind my helmet.

"I have a job for you two, more subtle than that. I want you to go to Gardoose, and pose as survivors of the battle. Doug, your already known to them as Atin. You can clear Tairek by saying your father, 'Wesford,' was killed in the battle. Gawain, I've already contacted Evenia about setting up a fake profile for you within their system. I want you two to leave as soon as possible. When you get into the city, after they question you, this is what you two are going to do."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

It was past midnight as Gawain and I approached the city's main gate, dressed as civilians. As we came just within range, spotlights targeted us, and a man over a loudspeaker yelled.

"Hold it right there! Knees on the grounds, hands on your head! Bring them in!"

Gawain and I complied, and then were grabbed, rustled about and brought inside, past the gates and into a nearby security office. We were thrown into an interrogation room, the sort with one door and one-way windows. We were being watched from outside the room, as well as from inside by an ERCS guard. Sitting down at a single table, Gawain stared down the soldier with his good eye. We sat waiting for 20 minutes, before our old friend Captain Witter came in.

"Gentlemen, sorry to keep you waiting." Witter began, setting two folders down on the table. He looked through them for a few moments before looking at us.

"Atin, and…Gregory?" Witter asked. 'Gregory' nodded.

"You two look like you've seen some action."

"The Mandalorians attacked, sir." I replied.

"Oh? Where?"

"The mines. To the east."

"They attacked our spice mines, did they? This is news to me." Witter responded, lying. "How did you two get out?"

"We hid. Atin and I were carrying Kassoti up out of the mines when those blasted Mandalorians surrounded the quarry. They left us alive to tell what happened." Gawain replied.

"Oh? How convenient. I suspect that eye patch is from them as well?"

"No. From one of your men, sir." Gawain replied, using his good eye to stare down the ERCS trooper again. Witter grinned, amused. His demeanor was hiding his fear of the fact that their weapon hand had been sliced off, and left to burn in the pools of flaming Kassoti; their other hand was powerful, but had been slowly pulling itself apart.

"Hmm. Let them go, they're harmless." Witter ordered. He stood up and left, while it took a whole ERCS squad to escort us out. We were taken outside, back into the city night. The soldiers left us alone as we trodded off. In the distance was Witter, walking back to his offices. Gawain trailed him, while I trailed some distance behind Gawain to counter any shadows he picked up.

I stuck to the shadows, avoiding the light orange glows cast by the lightpoles. The city was quiet – martial law had been enforced, but it was also past midnight. It was severely past curfew. Anyone caught outside was for all intents and purposes dead. But it didn't mean Gawain and I would lie down and take it. Up ahead, Gawain continued trailing Witter as they reached the main plaza. From one of the side streets came an ERCS patrolman. He had noticed Gawain, and began to follow him. Checking for tails myself, I moved ahead, creeping up on the ERCS. Without the _beskar'gam_ on I was swifter, faster, more agile. Much easier to sneak. As I crept forward, I stepped on something – a rock – which scratched against the pavement. I swore silently to myself, as the ERCS turned around to face me. I was on him before he could bring his rifle up, body slamming into him against the wall of the plaza's nearest corner building. I threw off his helmet, shoving one arm up under his neck and into his jaw. He dropped his rifle, and used his free hand to pull his pistol from his holster. With my other hand I grabbed his weapon hand, smashing it against the wall so he would drop his pistol. He pulled the trigger, firing a bolt into the sky.

_Fuck_ I thought to myself. Now Witter would be running.

The trooper shoved me off him, and brought his pistol up to shoot. I grabbed his wrist, moved and punched his neck. He didn't die immediately, for his neck was slightly armoured by his black bodysuit, which itself was covered with the ERCS classic plastoid armour. Nevertheless he staggered back, dropped his pistol, and I moved in for the kill. Still, he was fast and recovered, and swung at me with his gauntlet's vibro shiv extended. I grabbed his arm with both hands, as we both struggled to control the blade. I had the advantage with both hands on his arm, aiming for the shiv to go into his throat. After a few moments he regained his strength, and began to push back. Out of options, I pulled out an old trick. I looked off behind him to the wall and nodded. A knee jerk reaction, he turned to look, and I made my move. I headbutted him, and in his disorientation, grabbed his shiv hand and brought it up into an unarmoured portion of his front – above the waist, just to the right of his stomach, below his ribcage. He keeled over and slowly died as I nabbed his thigh holster and strapped it on; I also removed his gauntlet shiv. Spotting a nearby dumpster, I opened it, tossed his body in, and gathered his rifle and pistol. Checking to see if I was spotted, I found myself in the clear. I ran ahead to catch up with Gawain. As I ran swiftly through the shadows, Gawain called me as I passed him in an alley.

"Fett! Here!" Gawain called. I stopped and came back, finding Gawain in an alley. He had Witter in his clutches, hands behind his back and down on the ground. "What the hell happened back there?"

"Found a patrolman. Got something for you." I said, tossing him the ERCS standard issue blaster rifle. I kept the pistol in my thigh holster "And something for our friend." I continued, producing the gauntlet shiv. Witter turned his head to look, and tried to scream, but was muffled by Gawain's hand.

"Good. Do it and let's go." Gawain ordered. Gawain held Captain Witter in place, holding his head up for a clear view of his throat. Witter struggled as I equipped the shiv, and began gurgling blood as I sliced from left to right. He died quickly. Gawain dropped him. I tossed the shiv aside, but into plain sight, looked down at Witter's corpse, and then up at Gawain.

"Next."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Gawain and I weren't finished yet. Leaving the scene, we made our way to Jan's apartment, avoiding patrols. We had already killed Witter and one patrolman. Any more than that, and it would look too suspicious come morning. We wanted Witter's death to look like an ERCS trooper had done it, not some muggers. We knocked on her door. A few moments later, Jan opened the door, hair disheveled.

"Guys, it's the middle of the night. What do you want?" Jan asked, having just woken up.

"Its not safe for you or your people anymore. We have to get you out of the city." I replied.

"What? Come in." Jan said, annoyed. Gawain and I followed in after her, closing the door behind us.

"There's going to be chaos in the city tomorrow." Gawain said, standing next to me as Jan sat down in her couch.

"Why?"

"Captain Witter is dead. We made it to look like an ERCS trooper did it." Gawain replied. Jan's jaw dropped a smidge, and she held her forehead in her hands.

"Great. Ok, ok. I'll contact everyone, Evenia first. You two stay here and just…don't touch anything."

"Yes ma'am." I replied.

For the next 20 minutes, Jan went about calling the rest of her people of her 'revolution.' Evenia, Jaina, and several dozen other civilians. Brog, not surprisingly, did not pick up. It worried me. Hopefully, Witter's murder would distract the principal from sending out ERCS to attack the HQ. After a while, Jan's people showed up at her apartment. Jan did a quick explanation of our plan, albeit with some disgust at our methods.

_Civilians_ I thought to myself. No stomach for these sorts of jobs. Killing Witter was risky, but with the principal already on its toes due to the loss of the militia and the Feeorin, and the ERCS on edge, hopefully, somebody would snap. It was our goal to have the two separate, _rival_ groups of ERCS pick a fight with each other – one would start pointing fingers, blaming the other for Witter's death.

"So what now?" A female Zabrak asked. Jan's people had crowded into her apartment, and were now getting antsy.

"We get all of you out of here. When Witter's body is found, this city is going to erupt. We need to go immediately."

"But where?"

"Doesn't matter. Fett and I are leaving now. If you wish to stay and take your chances with the ERCS, be my guest." Gawain announced. He turned and headed for the door, and I with him. After a few moments, the crowd stood up and followed us out. "Fett, take point, I'll cover the rear." Gawain said. He equipped the ERCS rifle, nodded to me, and I moved ahead.

Sneaking through the shadows, I led Jan and her coalition from her apartment towards the city gates, avoiding ERCS patrols. We had a few close ones, but we moved fast enough. Having reached the gates, I halted the large group behind me. Gawain moved up next to me.

"How are we going to get past the gate guards?" Evenia asked. I turned to Gawain, nodded, then looked at the crowd of Jan's people.

"Stay here." I replied dryly. I unholstered the ERCS pistol, and held it behind my back as Gawain and I approached the gate house. We counted three unarmoured night watchmen, militia really, two security cameras, and the nearby guard house where Gawain and I were detained earlier. Gawain and I looked at each other, and nodded. Weapons hidden, we walked forward. One of the night watchmen, an Iridonian, looked up at us. His two comrades, a Gungan and a Twilek, armed themselves.

"Hey, its past curfew!" He yelled at us. Gawain revealed his rifle, aimed and fired at the three guards before they could shoot at us. At the same time, I shot the cameras with my pistol, then turned and shot the guard house door controls. Gawain moved forward, stomped his boot into one man's neck to finish him off, then waved Jan's people forward.

"Lets go lets go lets go!" I yelled. They ran like scared peasants. Gawain and I followed behind them to keep the coast clear, then moved ahead. All of us ran south for a good while before stopping.

"Why are we stopping?" Jan asked hoarsely.

"We are, you're not." I replied. The whirring sound of speeder engines neared, as four transport speeders drove up to us from the south. Allied militia parked the speeders, and appeared.

"Everyone inside." It was Arku, a familiar face for Jan and her people. Now their fears were allayed. From one of the speeders appeared Tairek in full armour, hauling several large duffle bags.

"You lads mind giving me a hand here?" He asked. I grinned. Gawain and I went over to help him carry the duffle bags out of the speeder. As Jan's people loaded in, Arku approached us.

"See you guys tomorrow?"

"Aye, you will boyo." Tairek replied. Arku shook his hand, turned and went into his speeder. They drove off back to our HQ. But for Gawain, Tairek and myself, we weren't finished yet. The three of us opened the duffle bags. Gawain's _beskar'gam_ and mine were inside. After we suited up from our civilian disguises, we removed the rest of the bag's contents. Ordnance packs, courtesy of our militia friends. Tairek picked up one of the charges and looked at us.

"Ready lads?"

"Let's do it."


	8. Cleaning House

The three of us, after planting the charges along the walls of Gardoose, took turns taking watch. We had been operating without sleep for the past day, and after the job was done, found a good spot a ways away from the city to crash in. Gawain and I were not woken by Tairek shaking us, but the sound of distant blasterfire and cannons. It started with one, then erupted into shot after shot. Gawain and I sat up, as Tairek nearby surveyed the city with macrobinoculars.

"Its started lads." Tairek announced. I checked my helmet's chrono. About 11:17.

"I thought they would have started fighting sooner." I said.

"Been checking their comm. traffic lad. They discovered Witter three hours ago. It just took some time before the hotheads decided to act."

"Bureaucrats, stalling the inevitable." Gawain remarked.

"Aye. After the investigation and the forensics team finished, the unit commanders lost their patience. Not a planned attack though. Fighting started in one sector and spread." Tairek replied, still looking through the binocs. Distant cannonfire paused, fired, paused, back and forth, though the blasterfire was continuous.

"Has Conall showed up yet?" I asked.

"They're on their way. We're to report in when one side has won the battle." Tairek replied.

"This could take a while. Its not just ERCS fighting. Its all the civilians, the pro-Rep radicals taking sides too." I replied.

"I wouldn't count too much on them lad. When push comes to shove, the weary always run and hide." Tairek said back. Gawain had sat down and began taking apart the ERCS rifle, tinkering for the hell of it. I handed him my ERCS pistol, then pulled out ration packs for the three of us. Two hours passed. About a little after 1:30, the cannonfire ceased. In the distance, smoke could be seen billowing out of Gardoose. All three of us were observing from afar.

"Nothing yet. Doug, get on the comm. to Conall and find out where he is."

"Got it." I replied. I set up a comm. channel to Conall.

"Conall, this is Fett, over."

"_I hear you. What's your status?_"

"The battle is over Conall. What's your position?"

"_My men and the militia are en route, should be there in less than 20. Who won?_"

"We don't know yet, comm. traffic has been silent so far."

"_Understood. See you shortly ner vod._" Conall and I cut the line. Tairek turned to Gawain and I.

"Alright lads, lets pack up and get into position."

The three of us moved further south a short ways before Conall, his guerillas, and Arku and the militia showed up. We grouped together, the whole 334 of us, and marched towards Gardoose. As we came into range of the city, now nearly a smoking, fiery waste, we took cover within the tall grass and trees. We hunkered down, and Conall set down a holoprojector, displaying a 3D map of Gardoose. Conall pointed to the front gates.

"Arku, you and your boys form a perimeter outside the gates. Catch anyone trying to enter or exit the city. Take Tairek and Doug here for backup, just in case."

"We can handle the ERCS, General." Arku replied.

"You were trained by Feeorin, not soldiers. When I give you the signal, move in and we'll close the gap. Gawain, take half our forces and come in from the eastern wall. You three better have set up those charges." Conall continued.

"Aye cousin, we did." Tairek replied.

"Good. I'll take everyone else and assault from the western wall. Do we have any idea now of who won?" Conall asked. I checked comm. traffic.

"The Ghosts." I replied.

"They'll be tough, but after their battle with the regulars, they'll be hard pressed to defend on two fronts."

"Three fronts." Arku corrected.

"Zip it boyo." Tairek replied.

"Let's get going. Watch your six, and cover each other's. _Oya Manda!_!" Conall yelled. Us Mandalorians yelled out battle cries, while Arku and the militia went on ahead.

The three allied units split up to their respective sectors. Tairek and I went with Arku and his Gungan/Iridonian militia. They had been trained well, but without fighting us their skills had atrophied over the last year. The battle at the mines was just a 'preview of coming attractions.' If they weren't careful, Tairek and I would end up dead. We got into position outside the city gates, hiding in the tall grass. The gates looked notoriously absent of life. The blaster holes in the glass were still clearly visible from when Gawain had killed the guards last night. The security cameras were motionless. In fact, the gates had been boarded up. Observing this, Tairek commed Conall.

"Cousin, we won't have to worry about anyone coming and going. The gates have been closed, permanently."

"_Then see about opening them._" Was all Conall said. Tairek turned to the militia.

"Any of you boys have extra ordnance?" Tairek asked. Arku turned to see if any of his men did. A Zabrak plucked a charge from his thigh pouch and came forward. "Good. Set it on the gate, we're going in." Tairek ordered. The Iridonian did as he was told, and Arku sent several of his men to cover him. After a few minutes, they returned.

"Are your guys ready yet?" Arku asked. Tairek commed Conall and Gawain.

"_Big ears_ here wants to shoot something. Ready when you lads are." Tairek said.

"_Ready_." Came the reply from Gawain.

"_Blast away. On three. One, two, three._"

Gawain set off the charges on his side, Arku set off ours, while Conall his. Explosions ripped across the western and eastern walls, and the gate, leaving behind a thick cloud of smoke and dust.

"Move, now!" Tairek yelled. We charged forward, weapons raised as we ran over the wall debris. We split left and right, taking cover near the guard house and behind a large fountain.

"_It's quiet._" Gawain observed over the comm.

"_I don't like it. Stay together. Looks like a trap._" Conall said over the comm.

The city was eerily quiet. If there were any citizens left, they had certainly hid well. Carbon scoring marked every building, bodies of soldiers and civilians alike lay where they had fallen. Some buildings were smoking wrecks. The sun was shining after the past few days of rain. Now here we were, finally defeating the Republic element into a corner on Rori. It was a long one, but now the end was in sight.

"Watch your corners." Tairek said as we pressed forward.

Our unit continued ahead towards the city's central plaza, and eventually the main Republic offices. On our way, there were complications. As Arku's unit led the way, moving from one building to another, heavy blasterfire suddenly erupted in the distance. Arku's men dodged for cover, though one of his men, a human, wasn't fast enough. In a few quick seconds, he was ripped apart by an E-web.

"Did anyone see the shooter?" Tairek yelled as we all hid behind a building.  
>"Definitely from a rooftop." I replied. In the distance, to both the east and west, was more blasterfire.<p>

"_Fierfek_." Tairek swore and contacted Gawain and Conall. "Gawain, Conall, you alive?"

"_It'll take more than blasterfire to kill me._" Gawain replied gruffly.

"_Two of my men took a hit but we're alright. They're well prepared. Unleash everything you've got._" Conall replied. I turned to the militia.

"Anyone got smoke grenades?" I asked. Arku and a few of his men produced three. I took them, pulled the pins, and tossed them around the building corner. "Go!" I yelled.

As the smoke filled the street, we turned and rounded the corner, moving fast, covering ground, closing in on the Republic defenders. As we reached the edge of the smokescreen, our foes, the ERCS Ghosts, unleashed their counter-attack. Soldiers with E-webs began firing from rooftop positions a few blocks down, while soldiers at street level behind sandbags and other barricades took potshots. We dodged for cover, though two militia were killed. A third lay in the street, his legs shot to hell, as he struggled to get away. He was finished off with a flurry of E-web fire. Arku and most of his militia were on one side of the street, while Tairek, myself, and the other militia were on the other side. We couldn't do anything yet. Arku looked around, and found a ladder on his building leading up to the roof. He pointed. We looked around for anything we could use, and found a set of stairs at our building, also leading up to the roof.

We divided our forces. Half of Arku's would go to the roof, half the militia on our side of the street would go to the roof as well. Both of these units would provide covering fire, as ground forces rushed the point emplacement. As our forces began ascending their respective buildings, Tairek contacted Conall and Gawain.

"We're facing heavy resistance, but we're setting up a counter-attack."

"_We're pushing as fast as we can without dying. Don't get yourself killed yet cousin, still need you._" Came Conall's half-joking reply. The two groups of militia had reached the roof, and were quickly fired upon by snipers and E-web gunners. A Gungan who popped his head up over the top of the ladder fell down dead, his skull blasted off his spine. The majority of the units dashed for cover on the roofs, behind electrical units and the over-arching building walls. Tairek and I pulled out our last two smoke grenades, pulled the pins, and tossed them around the corner.

"GO!" Tairek yelled. Arku's ground militia, Tairek, and myself made a run for it. Tairek and I switched our helmets to IR, to spot the ERCS down the street. We took a few quick shots before running ahead again. The militia on the roofs provided covering fire, distracting and killing several of the E-web gunners. For us on the street, we were now within range of the ERCS at ground level. We exchanged fire, but lost more militia to the snipers. I commed Gawain.

"Gawain, whats your position, over?"

"_We've reached the central plaza. Looks like you've got a mess on your hands._"

"You got that right. We've got snipers in the high towers, any way you can help?"

"_We'll take care of them._" Gawain replied. A few moments later, several anti-tank missiles shot up from the western districts, into the high towers where the snipers were located. The tower exploded, sending debris all across the plaza. The ERCS defenders, now surrounded as Conall's unit moved in, turned and fled.

"_We've got them on the run!_" Conall exclaimed, as his forces came pouring out of the eastern districts, in hot pursuit of the ERCS. The rest of us followed. For the next several city blocks, Conall's men ran down and killed the fleeing ERCS, as our unit ran by fresh corpses. After a while there were no more. But then, we had reached the last Republic bastion. Colonel Strasser's and the "InterGalactic Exports" offices. Conall turned to his men, made a hand signal, and several men ran forward to set charges to the buildings.

"WAIT!" Someone yelled. Female. From behind us. We turned to see. It was Jaina yelling, followed by Jan and some of her people. They caught up to us. Conall ordered his men to stand down. Jaina caught up to us. "You can't kill the Colonel!" Jaina protested. Tairek walked forward.

"And why not lass?" Tairek replied threateningly, hand on his holstered pistol. Conall came to see what the trouble was.

"What's going on here?"

"Please, don't kill Strasser." Jaina pleaded.

"This is a surprise. Care to explain?" Conall replied. Before Jaina could reply, there were yells from behind as Conall's men shouted down someone exiting the offices. It was Strasser.

"Don't shoot. I….surrender." Strasser said, hands on his head, as he dropped to his knees. Gawain put a pistol to the man's head.

"Better explain yourself."

"I don't care about the Republic. I just want to be with her." Strasser explained. Jaina ran forward and embraced him. Tairek looked at me, and I shrugged. The couple that had formed to siphon intelligence to us had become a real couple. It made sense to me. He was an old man without a family. She was lonely. And now they wanted nothing to do with the Republic, us, or the war. They walked off, not before another character, a Toydarian, appeared from the offices.

"You were always weak, Strasser." Brog mocked. Jan turned to look, and came forward.

"Brog, you were the traitor?" Jan began. Conall's men kept their guard up. We watched as it unfolded, wary of counter-attacks.

"Don't be so naïve Jan. It's because of the Mandalorians that the Republic came here in the first place. They were pushed into a corner and had to react against your _friends_."

"The Republic had come here anyway regardless of the Mandalorians. They were going to terrorize us no matter what!"

"Rori would prosper under Republic sovereignty! The Mandalorians would eventually butcher us, don't you see?" Brog shot. Jan shook her head. She didn't like either truth. Neither side was heroic. The Mandalorians had terrorized people in the country, the Republic had terrorized the city of Gardoose. No one was safe under either insurgent faction. But Jan made a choice.

"You're a fool and a traitor Brog." Jan replied. She equipped her pistol, aimed, and shot her former friend dead. As she walked away, some of Conall's men pointed to behind the Export offices. A group of armed men in plain clothes were making a run for it.

"After them!" Conall yelled. We ran ahead, and after a few blocks caught up to the group of men, who had retreated to a hangar, where they were about to board a shuttle. They fired, and we shot back. Run as they may, we shot them all down. One of Conall's men threw a grenade, killing the rest. Conall ordered Tairek and I to inspect. We found a live one. Tairek and I crouched next to him.

"Who do you work for?" I asked. The man formed a bloody grin on his face.

"Wouldn't believe me if I told you…"

"Humour us, boyo." Tairek replied. I produced a knife, promising his end to be more painful than necessary if he didn't talk. He complied.

"We're everywhere and nowhere…eyes everywhere."

"Cut the conspiracy crap." I shot.

"We're…R.I. assets. Sent here to take…Rori." The man replied.

"R.I. What the hell is that?" I asked Tairek. Conall approached.

"Republic Intelligence. Spooks. Spies. They were here, controlling everything." Conall said. The man gurgled and died. Tairek and I stood up.

"I don't get it. Why? Why Rori, and why all the killings?" I asked. Conall looked down at the dead R.I. agents, then looked back at me.

"The Republic has to expand its sphere of influence if they want to fight us. This sector is outside their control. With no military assets to spare, R.I. set out on their own to fight us. With only the ERCS to start, they exercised control of Gardoose. With the city in their grasp and its citizens at their disposal, they hired the Feeorin to come train civilians to fight us. To pay for the Feeorin, they used the people here to mine the Kassoti, then hired smugglers to sell it to the Hutts. All for one damn planet." Conall explained. I blinked, then looked back down at the dead agent.

"What now?" I asked. Conall shook his head.

"If Republic Intelligence is like this, just imagine what the rest of the Republic Military is capable of."

"What do you mean cousin?" Tairek asked.

"Jan was wrong. R.I. capturing citizens, torturing, raping, making slaves out of the people? Intelligence networks are ruthless, but this sort of brutality is unwarranted on their part. They learned it from us. And if R.I. is like this, what of the Republic army and its commanders?" Conall made a good point. I was suddenly reminded of how Tairek and I ended up here in the first place.

_Revan_

"The Jedi. Revan and Malak. I've read news reports while doing surveillance work here. They've been very active in the war lately." I replied.

"I remember Ulic and Exar Kun, and what Jedi are capable of when they fall. I think its time we leave." Conall said. The rest of the Mandalorians, Jan, Arku, and the militia showed up. Conall approached Jan. "My men and I are leaving. Our job here is done." Conall said. Jan nodded.

"I know. I suppose I should thank you. We couldn't have done this without Mandalorian aid."

"I'll make sure my people leave Rori alone. You've proven yourself a worthy ally of the Mandalorians Jan. What will you do?" Conall asked. Jan turned and looked at Gardoose, now a smoking ruin. She then turned to Arku and his militia, and her followers.

"The people here need a good leader. And protection. I think we can provide that." Jan said, smiling.

Conall nodded and extended his hand. Jan shook it. Something I had never seen before – mutual respect between one of my own, and a civilian. Tairek and I said our goodbyes to Arku. Tairek naturally called him 'boyo,' but even for a militiaman he had proved himself in battle. We huddled inside the various R.I. shuttles. Conall's men dropped Tairek and I off back in the mountains, to pick up our Basilisk. They headed off, back for Mandalorian space, as Tairek and I strapped ourselves in and took off.

As Tairek flew, I reflected on the past eight months. Atrocities from both us Mandalorians, the Republic, the people of Rori divided over who to support, thousands of civilians and soldiers dead on both did it all mean?

"Tairek, what was the point of this entire operation, if we're just leaving at the end?" I asked. Tairek paused for a long while as he took the Basilisk into space, and then eventually hyperspace. Eventually he turned to me and said –

"Lad, you'll find that even the supposed 'good guys' have no noble motives to speak of. When they justify their actions as a means to keep 'public order,' it is nothing but lies. And that when such actions are told down through the ages, they become lies. The truth, gruesome as it is, is forgotten."

"But why?"

"People don't have the stomach for the truth. And that's why historians will never mention what happened here. No one wants to read of Republic forces torturing, enslaving, and murdering civilians. People want to know that their nation's soldiers are heroic."

"But there are no heroes in war Tairek." I replied. There was not even a word for 'hero' in _Mando'a_.

"You just answered your own question lad."

**DOUGLAS FETT MISSION PORTION: COMPLETE**

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

**Two months later…**

Jan sat at her desk, within the former offices of "InterGalactic Exports." The defeat of the Republic forces on Rori, as well as the departure of the Mandalorians, had taken loads of pressure off of Jan and her people, the citizens of Gardoose. But there was still a war to be fought. A war of belief. There were some citizens who clamored for Republic support. They weren't tolerated. Such issues were why her second in command of Gardoose, Captain Arku, had come to her office.

"Ma'am, I have good news. My men have rounded up the remaining cells of pro-Republic citizens. What are your orders?" The Gungan asked. Jan turned around in her chair to face Arku.

"Take them to the mines. Make them think they'll be put to use harvesting Kassoti. And when they are put in the quarry, shoot all of them. They are useless to me."

"Yes ma'am." Arku replied. The Gungan militia captain turned and left the office. As Arku left, her secretary, Evenia, contacted her through the intercom.

"_Jan, there are some gentleman here from Marlan the Hutt wishing to speak with you._"

"Who are they exactly?"

"_Smugglers_." Evenia replied. Jan grinned. Of course. With the 'changing of the guard,' these poor fellows found themselves unable to make contact with their employers here on Rori.

"Send them in." Jan replied. Several moments later, a Bothan and a Duros smuggler walked in. "Gentleman, please, sit."

"Is this still InterGalactic Exports?" The Bothan asked, as the two smugglers sat down. Jan rounded the desk, and sat on the corner. She grinned and looked down at the man.

"No. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you gents, but they were bought out a few months ago. If your employer wishes to make any new business deals here on Rori, he'll have to speak to me."

"He will miss those spice shipments. And I'm sure Gardoose will miss the profits." The Duros remarked. An idea suddenly struck Jan.

"Things have changed gentleman, and we here in Gardoose no longer dabble in the spice trade. However, how would your master like an _exceptionally_ large shipment of slaves?"

"I think that would be a perfect compensation, Miss." The Bothan replied. Jan grinned, rounded her desk and pressed the intercom.

"Evenia, contact Captain Arku. Tell him my previous orders to him are nullified. I have a much better idea for our mutual friends."


	9. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

Fett and Tairek, having assisted Conall and his troops in defeating the Republic, followed their brothers back to Mandalorian space. The war with the Republic had begun to grow dire, as the Jedi Revan and his followers had begun to turn the tables on their Mandalorian foes.

Under the leadership of its new governor, Gardoose prospered. Having dealt with the savagery of both Republic Intelligence and the Mandalorians, the people of Gardoose were well prepared when a certain Hutt crimelord attacked Rori. The savagery and ruthlessness with which Gardoose fought back and defeated the Hutt was echoed by the cunning and ferocious tactics of the Jedi Revan, who in turn had "fallen" far from the light, having adopted the merciless strategies of his foe – the Mandalorians.

Jaina and Strasser left Rori and headed for a frontier world to settle down and live peacefully. They wanted nothing to do with the Republic, or the Mandalorians.

_As Revan and Malak fought the Mandalorians in battle after battle, they grew to despise weakness, just as the Mandalorians did. In the end, the Mandalorians had taught them through conflict. Shaped the Jedi. And turned them into a weapon…Many believed the Mandalorians were defeated at Malachor V. But the Mandalorians taught the Jedi much through battle. And so it was that Malak, Revan, and the Jedi that followed them discovered their true natures in the Mandalorian Crusade._

- Kreia


End file.
